From a Time Long Past
by IchiFell
Summary: The fight with Ulquiorra did not end well for Ichigo. Having lost in the worst way, Ichigo has been forced to a different time, a time he didn't exist in, a time filled to the brim with Grimm.
1. That was a thing

**Well...This is awkward. Sorry about the, well, year long hiatus. **

**Really, I am sorry about that. It's just, I fell to the claws of depression. I know, probably a sorry excuse, but I did, and it killed my will to write. Lets just say the cause is a one sided relationship, of which both parties were actually a part of. I am not a stalker, fans-o-mine.**

**But anyways, I am really sorry about Doragon. When I took it down, I planned on working on it, I really did, then the relationship went full swing, then my heart was slowly crushed. It fell to nothingness. I will, however, get to it when I can get a good premise. I have an idea, but it needs fleshing.**

**Anyways, after a RWBY kick, this came to mind. I plan on making this a main story, so yeah.**

**Again, sorry for being me. I will get back to writing more often. This, I swear!**

* * *

Black daito clashed against green energy javelin as two beings of great power fought for supremacy, one out of madness, the other to further his superior's goals. Sand billowed past them as the two souls tore across the landscape, disturbing dunes that had been building since times forgotten. Each time their respective weapons met, a large concussive blast erupted, casting both the insane demon and the winged nightmare back from each other before they dove back to the fray, blade and javelin eagerly meeting again and again.

However, ever so slightly, the demon was gaining the upper-hand, and the rate it was shrieking served to indicate this fact. Each time they clashed, the demon pushed the other back a bit farther, broke through its defenses a bit easier, gave it less time to respond to each strike. They moved across the terrain, smashing through more and more of the ivory pillars and upsetting more of the sand, all in order to make it to the top

_'I can't just overpower this boy.' _The nightmare thought to himself after dodging one of the demon's ceros, pushing hard enough to knock back the demon a fair distance. _'I need a new plan.'_ Quickly, a Garganta opened behind him before the winged man back-stepped into it. Before it closed, however, the demon forced its way into the portal, entering the Dangai as well.

The beast looked back and forth, screeching its horrific cry, searching for its prey, only to be kicked on the side of its head, directly into the Kōryū, and snapping of if its horns off.

"It is useless, Ichigo. You have been caught by the stream; there is no saving you now." The pale nightmare said, watching as the demons form began crumbling. "You just were not strong enough to beat Aizen's will. Now suffer in this defeat, losing your place in time."

The demon merely stopped struggling, giving what sounded to be a final death rattle before freezing stock still as it continued to crumble, almost as if a second skin was falling off him, the white and black markings that covered him flaked off of his body as, the plumes on his wrists shedding off as the long orange hair shrinking to its original size, all before the fallen flakes converged to the hole in his chest, filling back up the emptiness.

His sentience returned only to experience the feeling of being pull and twisted in many different directions at once. He gave out a silent cry as his mind was being strained under the pressures of the current, and went through this for what felt to be an eternity, holding onto his sanity as best as a man could while undergoing an unending torture. Like all bad things, however, it finally came to an end when a spark of light appeared and rapidly approached Ichigo before overtaking him entirely, and the torture his body went through ended abruptly.

**(XoxoX)**

Yang Xiao Long, on a normal day, is a very relaxed and easygoing person.

However, today was was no normal day.

With her sister somehow falling from the sky, who then was slammed into a tree by another flying kid, a crazy girl riding into the clearing she was at on an Ursa with a friend, and a redhead being chased by a Deathstalker, all in the same day they were launched into the Emerald Forest for initiation, it was hard for her to keep calm, especially with the crazy girl messing with the Rook relic. So, simply put, she exploded into, in a very literal and metaphorical sense, a fiery mess.

"Graaa! I can't take any more of this! Can't everyone just calm down for even tw-"

Yet, as if to mock her, she was cut off by a blinding light. When the light faded, the Deathstalker that was chasing the redhead appeared to be crushed by a guy with orange hair, who happened to be very much passed out in the gore of the Grimm.

"Looks like your wish isn't going to be granted, Yang." Blake said, ribbing her blonde teammate. She was only met with an annoyed snort before said blonde stomped over to the unconscious teen.

She crouched beside him, jabbing him in the ribs with her finger. "Hey, you okay?" She asked the form, rolling him over to see him unconscious. "Well, that makes sense. He did just squish a Deathstalker." She muttered to herself before looking at the group. "Think we should take him with us?

Blake shrugged. "We are training to be Hunters and Huntresses. It would seem hypocritical to leave this guy lying here."

"Yup, we should definitely bring him." Ruby said, grinning emphatically.

The general consensus went along those spoken lines, and Yang picked him up, carrying him over her shoulder. "Alright, he is coming with us then! But before we go, what are we going to do with that Nevermore?" As if to illustrate her point, she pointed at the giant bird-like Grimm flying at them.

"...It didn't give up?" Ruby spoke, shaken by the prospect. As if answering her, the Grimm flew overhead, scattering its feathers at the collection of students, scattering them, as a girl in a predominantly white outfit fell from the back of the beast. This girl fell screaming for help, and the man currently on Yang's shoulder woke up in an instant. Without giving Yang a chance to put him down, he used her as a spring board to leap off of, much to her indignation, and caught the falling girl, standing in the air as she caught her breath.

Weiss, conversely, was unable to speak a single sentence at the change of pace. One moment, she was falling off the back of a giant Nevermore, and in the next, she was in the arms of an almost shirtless man, who happened to stand in the air like it was nothing.

"Are you okay?" The man asked in a gruff voice. She nodded curtly, huffing a small bit.

"Yeah, I am fine. Would you put me down now?"

"Oh, right." Ichigo said, as if forgetting he was doing the impossible. He then began stepping down the air as if on steps, landing in front of the group of teens who then clustered around them. He then helped her to her feet from his arms before stepping back.

"Are you okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked timidly, uncomfortable with the stranger by her.

"No, I am not okay! You abandoned me up there, you idiot!" Weiss raged. "How can you just leave your partner on the back of a Grimm all by herself?! Do you know how crazy you are to even consider jumping?"

Ruby just shuffled in place, unable to reply under the barrage sent her way.

"But, we are both safe now, I guess." Weiss said begrudgingly. "So, it wasn't all that bad." Ruby then beamed at her praise.

"Am I the only one who is wondering why there are giant monsters running around?" Ichigo asked, bringing the group's attention back to him. "And where the hell am I?" Dumbfounded stares was his unanimous answer. "What?" He defended. "Why is everyone looking at me like this is normal. I mean, I don't remember this being commonplace."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked incredulously. "Grimm have been around for centuries. How could you not remember them?"

Ichigo paused, before speaking slowly. "What do you mean, centuries? I have never seen, let alone heard of these 'Grimm' as you call them."

"Guys, as interesting as this conversation is, we need to talk later. That Nevermore is circling back to us." The male blonde of the group said, pointing to the sky. And as he said, the large, black bird was coming back right for them at a dangerously fast speed. "What are we going to do?"

"Fight, obviously." Ichigo said before anyone else could speak up.

"Are you insane? There is no way we can fight that thing here." Blake said, exasperated. "We need to run away, now."

Ichigo just scoffed. "You kidding? Something with that little energy will be nothing for me." And without another word, the carrot-top charged up a Getsuga Tensho as he shunpo'ed closer to the beast, shocking everyone with a speed they could not comprehend. Another instant later, the Grimm that was hounding them was eradicated in a large, dark explosion of energy.

Upon returning, Ichigo was met with a fiery blast to the face. "What the hell was that for!"

"That is for using me as a spring earlier!" Yang shouted back. "That hurt you know? Now my shoulder is all stiff."

"Hey, I just woke up to the sound of someone yelling for help! I didn't mean to use you to save her." Ichigo pointed at Weiss as he spoke, making her blush.

"Is anyone going to bring up how he came here?" The raven-haired teen in the group said. "I mean, he did come out of nowhere and literally crushed that Deathstalker as if it were a mere bug." He was ignored, spoken over by his less-than-sane partner Nora, who was gushing about the huge explosion Ichigo made. Ren just sighed before he grabbed Nora and changed tactics. "We have our Relics, right? Then lets go. We should talk to Ozpin on this, because standing here is just drawing out our initiation."

Everyone, having actually heard this bit, nodded, and Ruby dramatically posed on a rock, pointing to the cliff in the distance, excitedly stating "And were off!" before disappearing in a cloud of rose petals. Nora, taking a card from Ruby's action, giggled as she pulled out her hammer, boosting her way over the trees ash she stood on it. Yang just shrugged and launched herself with her gauntlets, followed by the rest as they ran as fast as they could to keep up.

**(XoxoX)**

The impromptu race ended within a short half-hour, with Ruby standing victorious at the top of the cliff, grinning to herself.

"Well done, ladies, gentlemen. I do believe that was the fastest initiation to date." Ozpin said as he approached the group. "You also seemed to have picked up another person! May I ask who you are, stranger?"

The most of the group did a collective facepalm as they forgot entirely to ask the man himself. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, sir." He stated. The reaction that was returned, however, stunned everyone. The calm and collected Ozpin has dropped his cane and mug in readily apparent shock. It took the man a moment to recollect himself before the mask he had replaced itself, and he picked up his cane and mug, albeit shaking slightly.

"Forgive me for that. It's just...that name is part of a tale that has been passed in my family for generations, and it caught me off guard. Glynda, could you escort these students back to the school? I need to talk to Mr. Kurosaki here."

Glynda, still a bit stunned herself, merely waved at the teens around Ichigo before walking away, and they followed suit. When only Ichigo and Ozpin were left, the silverhead spoke up again. "I need you to follow up to my office, Ichigo. I do believe you have questions that are in need of answering." And then Ozpin took off, Ichigo following quickly behind. They ran at a speed that quickly overtook Glynda and the crowd of students and passed them, with only Goodwitch comprehending that they were even passing by. In no time, Ichigo and Ozpin were in his office, and the headmaster took his seat.

"So, before we begin, let me tell you a story my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather had told my family. He spoke of people called Shinigami, of how they were the masters of the Afterlife. They ruled for over many millennium, and they were the undisputed power of the Afterlife. However, at some point, three of the leaders turned traitor, and brought down the rule. It happened in a war where he led beings called Hollows, Arrancar, and Espada."

As Ozpin spun his tale, Ichigo's eyes widened and began to sweat, unbelieving of the accuracy that the story was told compared to what he remembered. He did not interrupt though, knowing that the man was not done.

"At the same time this was happening, a young teen was rising to power at a rate unheard of, and led a charge into the enemy's territory. They apparently met heavy resistance, and while many of the enemy was killed, so too was the supposed hero lost. The villain, a bastard named Aizen, fought and defeated all of the Shinigami that stood in his path, sacrificing a whole town for his own means. He broke into the Palace that he desired to go to, defeated the elite warriors that resided in there, and killed the King of all Souls, before succumbing to the wounds he accumulated. And that is when the world degraded into the state it is now."

Ozpin stopped to take off and clean his glasses before continuing, his breathing shaky. "And I used to think that this was a fable to explain this world's creation. However, one detail has changed all of that. The hero this story told about was named Ichigo Kurosaki, and the way he was described is exactly as you look like."

To say Ichigo was stunned would be an understatement. His mind was running so quickly that he could not even move. He was currently centuries into the future. He had failed his friends. The life he knew was now long since gone. Aizen had killed his family. Slowly, his mind began to shut down, only to be brought back by a burning splash on his face. Snapping to, Ichigo howled in pain.

"Sorry Ichigo, but you needed that. I could almost hear you shutting down." Ozpin said, not even remotely apologetic.

"Well you didn't need to use your fucking coffee, old man!"

Ozpin merely shrugged. "I heard it both ways. But, please, ask me anything. I will answer all your questions."

Ichigo paused before responding. "Tell me, from the date this story began, how far in the future are we?"

"Over five hundred years, Ichigo." Ozpin said quietly. "Probably more, considering my family's long lifespans."

"No shit." Ichigo said to himself, pausing. "Then, what are these Grimm?"

"We don't entirely know, but the idea is that they are negative emotions given form. Only, my family believes that these are mutated Hollows, but that is considered if the tale was true, which you have proven they are."

"I don't know, they don't feel like hollows. There is no instinct in their attacks, just mindless fury." Ichigo mused. "But at least I have an idea of what they are. I guess I have one final question." Ichigo leaned on Ozpin's desk, leaning in. "Do you know the name of the man who started this story."

Ozpin smiled forlornly, finally receiving an easy question. "Of course. Before the land changed to the way to the shape it is now, the man who started this story was known as Kisuke Urahara.

* * *

**Well, I am back now. Sorry if the quality was sub-par, but I am really out of practice.**

**Still, thank all of you who stuck with this asshole who did not update for a year. Who knows, maybe I will write at a regular rate now!**

**Last things before you can leave. I need a beta. Like, really badly. And this title is a work in progress, so if anyone has a better idea, please give me you idea! I will credit you with it, of course.**

**See you later!**


	2. Myths made Real

**Two updates in a week after a year of nothing? Whaaat? **

**Well, I wanted to thank you guys for the attention my story had received. I mean, almost 600 views on one day? Lunacy.**

**Anyways, I want to thank my Beta Dosudro for looking through and fixing what mistakes I had. It will run more smoothly now than it would have before.**

* * *

Sitting on a bed in one of the dorms, Ichigo stared at a black box he held in his hands, idly spinning it, thinking back on the conversation he had with Ozpin.

_'So lets make a quick checklist of what has happened to me in the last hour. I traveled several centuries into the future, stumbled across an initiation to a school that teaches people to fight hollow-like creatures called Grimm, and found a descendant of old Hat-in-Clogs, who gave me this device that Kisuke made for me, asking me to come back when I was finished.'_

Sighing, Ichigo set the device onto the table in front of him. _'Now, in the fashion of his distant relative, that man Ozpin just told me to pour some Aura, or spiritual energy, into it as his ancestors told him, and nothing of what would happen.'_ Taking a deep breath, Ichigo focused what little control of his spiritual energy into the palms of his hands. _'Here goes nothing.'_ He then let loose some of his spirit into the box from either side and leapt back as a cyan light show erupted, the box opening and expanding to dimensions much larger than what was visible from the outside. This spread wider and wider before coming to a slow halt. With a hiss, everything clicked into place, and a human form seemed to construct itself up, turning into a holographic, full-sized Kisuke Urahara, minus his trademark grin.

_[Ichigo, if my theories turn out to be true and you get your hands upon this box, then I humbly ask you to forgive me, Kisuke Urahara, for my follies.]_ The recording of the odd shopkeeper opened with, and Ichigo swallowed when he heard the dead tone the man used. _[I made many mistakes in my life, and most of them ended up with you having to rise to power, and with it leading your disappearance. As of this moment, Aizen has made the Ōken and has broken into the Royal Realm. I know now that they will lose to him, and the worlds that are currently existing are going to unravel to the chaos that predated it.] _The holographic Kisuke breathed a weary sigh as he took off his hat, and stared straight ahead, managing to make eye contact with the displaced teen_. [I am recording this so that you can have at least some idea of the chaos that will become of the world.]_

_[Before the world you came to know existed, there was an unnamed universe. In it, there was almost no sentient life, just savage monsters that make the average Hollow seem intelligent. These beasts ravaged the lands, growing in number as they cut down live prey, and it drove almost every being with sentience to extinction. Then, from these survivors came forth a man who wielded unparalleled power. He dominated these beasts and brought forth what made up the dimensions of this world: Hell, Hueco Mundo, the Afterlife and the Universe we knew, using his body as the linchpin that kept all the souls that turned into these monsters from causing the havoc they once had, giving them their own form of sentience. It is this world that we will return back to, and even I have no clue as to what will occur because of it. But there is more you should know that your father alone has the right to tell you.]_

Shock registered through his eyes as he witnessed his father enter as Kisuke left. It was not the fact that his father was present, but the fact that he was dressed as a captain that took the teen in surprise. His old man had a stare that didn't seem to focus on anything but the ground as he knelt down, leaning himself on his knees.

_[Ichigo, I apologize that you had to find what I am about to tell you like this, because I wanted to sit down and have a serious conversation, but now that will never happen. Listen well, Ichigo, for this story I am going to tell you is one that will explain how you are not a shinigami nor a human, but much, much more. I wanted to tell you that I was a shinigami, and a captain at that, long before I met your mom. It was actually on a mission that I met her.]_ He paused to take a haggard breath, and a faint smile crossed his otherwise slack face.

_[When going through paperwork with Rangiku and Toshiro one day, I had received a report on how two shinigami had been killed in our jurisdiction in the last month and one more in the month before. I decided to go check to see what the problem was and ran into a strange hollow. It looked as if it were made for speed with its arms replaced for natural blades. Not only that, this hollow was horned, unlike any other I had seen, and was entirely black. Hell, the thing was strong enough for me to need shikai. But in the middle of me fighting it, a traitor slashed me in the back, and made it impossible to focus enough to activate my bankai, of which I was in need of. Then, she came.]_

_[This girl who could not have been out of high school yet fired an arrow upon the beast, drawing its attention. I was too tired to do anything as I watched it get close enough to bite her, but it was as if she wanted that, for when it was in her embrace, she unleashed arrow after arrow into its face, killing it. She then made sure I was okay, telling me that she was a Quincy of all things, before leaving.]_

The hologram gave a hollow laugh, and though it was faint, Ichigo could tell that the memories he was revealing still brought him happiness.

_[I gave my report, leaving out the fact that I met a live Quincy, and had the urge to go find her again several days later. When I came across her, she was in the arms of another man with a terrified look on his face. After all, who wouldn't freak when a hole was forming in the area near her heart. Then Kisuke here came across us, telling us we could save her life, but it would come at the cost of me giving up my Shinigami powers. Naturally, I didn't hesitate to do this, and my shinigami powers held back the hollowfication she was undergoing.]_ His father looked up, for the first time in the whole time he had talked, and had a fierce glint in his eyes._ [It was Masaki that I met that day, and she was in the arms of Ryuken, Uryu's father. The rest you know, except that the hollow you had been fighting was the hollowfication that Masaki went through, and that you are not a shinigami, nor a human, but my son who makes up the perfect combination of Quincy, Shinigami, Hollow and Human.]_

Having said his piece, Isshin walked away from view, pausing only for a moment. _[And son? I have never regretted a single moment since I met your mom, or since when you and the girls were born. You were the son anyone would want. And it is not your fault that the world is falling back to what it once was, but all of ours for sending you half-cocked into the fray.]_ And when he left the view, the lights dimmed down as the box remade itself to its initial shape, an unassuming hand-sized black box.

Ichigo was stunned to say the least. His whole world had been flipped on its head. He was the hollow that he fought so hard against? His mother was not the normal human he thought she was, but an infected Quincy that died fighting? That the world now is in its natural state? He needed to see Ozpin, now.

Ignoring any form of nicety, Ichigo barged right into Ozpin's office, startling only Glynda. "We need to talk, Ozpin."

(XoxoX)

"So, who do you think that guy was?" Ruby asked her sister as they changed into their pajamas.

"I don't know, but he is an odd one. He came out of nowhere, took out two notably tough Grimm as if it were nothing, then made Ozpin, the king of collectedness, lose his cool as if he saw Death itself." Yang mused, resting her chin in a hand.

"Do you think that he is the reason the last part of the ceremony was delayed?"

"That could very well be the case." Yang said with a shrug before grinning wildly. "Why, could it be that my little sis has a crush on this boy?"

Ruby blushed a brilliant red as she clutched her shirt to her chest. "N-no! Of course not!"

"Why not? Didn't you see those abs on him, or the way his clothing barely hung onto his body? There were also all those scars on him..." Yang said with a perverse blush dusting her face.

"He was rather enigmatic though." Blake interrupted, sparing Ruby from further embarrassment by her partner. "After all, he came out of nowhere in a blinding flash with powers not befitting someone who looks so young."

"Oh, oh! I know!" Nora said, literally jumping into the conversation. "He is a dimensional warrior from a different time!"

"Don't be crazy. That is impossible." Weiss cut in. "Time travel? Dimensional warriors? That kind of thing is something you would only see in a manga, or science fiction."

Nora blew a raspberry at her. "Oh, you are no fun, Ice Princess."

A tic formed on Weiss' head as she glared at the insane hammer-girl. "Don't call me that!"

The pinkist only laughed as Ren dragged her away, him calling out apologies.

"Well, she is an interesting person." Ruby said, giggling.

"Yeah, that's the word for it." Weiss grumbled, disgruntled. "Anyways, I came over here to tell you guys that you need to shut up! The teams will be formed tomorrow morning, so we need our rest."

"She is right, you know." Blake said, as she laid down. "And we will get no answers from speculating on the subject. Something tells me we'll learn more tomorrow."

That night, their dreams were filled with strawberries.

(XoxoX)

"So what you are saying, Ichigo, is that this world is what is normal?" Ozpin asked, staring out of his windows to the vast expanse of land around him. "That the box has a message from my ancestor who knew why the world is how it is?" Ichigo nodded, and Ozpin just sighed. "And here I thought that they were anomalies, beings that do not belong to this world."

"And you are just going to take this...boy's word on the matter?" Glynda exclaimed.

"Well, technically I am several centuries old." Ichigo cut in, only to be shot down by the woman's glare.

"Only if what you said isn't all an elaborate lie!" Ichigo only sighed before turning back to Ozpin.

"I don't care if you guys believe me, but what I spoke of was the absolute truth." He flashed a glare back to Glynda. "After all, I am not a liar. Not about anything this large."

As she huffed up to retaliate, Ozpin silenced her. "I trust his words, and you know that I wouldn't unless I was completely sold on the subject."

"So, Ichigo, where do you want to go from here?"

"I...don't know what you mean, sir." Was the teen's confused reply.

"What I mean is this: do you want to try to find a way to go back to your time, or would you rather stay in this period of time and keep it safe?" Ozpin walked over to his desk and put down his mug before extending a hand to the boy. "No matter what you choose, I will support you as my ancestor had."

Ichigo shifted his weight around each foot before replying. "I...I don't know yet. I mean, I just got here, and I can see how bad it is. And who knows if it is even possible to return? I will help as long as I am here, but I will get back to you as to if I want to return."

Ozpin smiled at the reply, keeping his arm extended. "That is rather well thought out, young man. If that is the case, why don't you do me a favor? Enroll in my school, learn the history of Remnant, and make your decision when you graduate. After all, what would you have to lose?"

Ichigo took the man's hand and gave a firm shake. "I think that is reasonable, since I have no where to go." Turning around, Ichigo made to leave when Ozpin's voice stopped him.

"Oh, and you can keep the box. I am sure there is more on it than you told me, and you are the only one who can use it. And sleep well, Ichigo. I know that you'll need it."

"...Thank you." Ichigo said softly before he left the room.

When Glynda thought he was out of earshot, she turned to Ozpin. "Are you sure that you can trust him?"

"More him than anyone else, Glynda, because if the legends are true, he is a protector through and through." Lifting his mug back up, he took a sip, looking out his windows again. "And if there is anything this world needs right now, it is a protector that is willing to sacrifice anything to keep it safe."

"But he is just a boy, Ozpin!"

"A boy who has fought so many times and almost died in many of them, Glynda. That is something that you cannot forget."

"...Very well, sir. I hope that you are right about this." The woman left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I hope so too." He said to no one, closing his eyes.

(XoxoX)

"Cardin Winchester, Rustle Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. You four retrieved the black bishop pieces from the forest temple. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRDL, with Cardin Winchester as your leader." Ozpin announced, accompanied by a stoic response from the four named and the clapping of students watching them.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren. You four retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work as team JNPR." Nora glomped Ren at this, clearly excited, as they were met with the standard applause. "Jaune Arc will be your leader. Congratulations, young man." Jaune was understandably shocked by this, but the four left the stage as the applause died down.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You four retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. You will be led by Ruby Rose." Whistling joined the applause as Yang hugged her sister in excitement, with her declaring her pride in her sister.

"Normally, this is where the celebration would end. However, this year we have a late admission." Ozpin continued. "Because we cannot have a one man team, this person will have to make the first five man team in Beacon history. Would you please stand up here, Ichigo." The curtains behind the stage were drawn back as Ichigo strode forward, a lighter-than-normal scowl on his face. As he stood at attention, Ozpin continued to speak. "Now, is there an-"

"Dibs!" A female voice rang out. All attention went to the owner of the voice, one Yang Xiao Long. "We call dibs for him to be on our team!"

Ozpin chuckled at her antics. "I had a feeling you would, Miss Long. Well, Ichigo, follow your team, would you?" As Ichigo sauntered off the stage towards the cheering blonde, Ozpin turned to the crowd. "Now take today to get prepared, for classes will start tomorrow, and this will be an interesting year for you all!"

(XoxoX)

The walk to the dorm they were assigned was done in a peaceful silence. Blake read her book, Yang and Ichigo were looking around, Weiss marched stiffly, and Ruby was running around, examining everything closely in wonder.

It was Ichigo that broke the silence. "Your sister is a hyper person, isn't she?"

Yang shrugged, still looking around. "Not really. It is more that she is young and innocent still."

"Oh? And how young is young?" Ichigo inquired, smirking.

"Well, the average freshman at Beacon is seventeen years old. She happened to get in two years earlier than the rest because she showed how competent she was to Glynda during a Dust shop heist." Yang said flippantly.

"Then I guess it would surprise you that I am fifteen as well, Yang." Ichigo smirked when he saw the group pause and turn slowly at him. "...What? Is it that surprising?"

"'Is it that surprising' he says!" Weiss exclaimed incredulously. "You killed a Nevermore, one of the stronger breeds of Grimm, in one hit, almost like it was more of a pest than anything!"

"You also survived slamming into the plates of a Deathstalker! That is something almost unheard of." Blake chimed in, closing her book. "So it just makes us wonder what your Semblance is."

"My what now?"

Weiss opened her mouth and shut it soundlessly before walking over to a pillar, headbutting it. Hard. "Why." Thud. "Am I." Thud. "Surrounded by." Thud. "Idiots?" THUD.

"How did you do, well, any of what you did back in initiation if it were not for a Semblance?" Ruby inquired. "I mean, you stood on air and fired a giant death blast from your sword!"

"Um..." Ichigo looked around nervously. "I don't really think I can explain it out in the open. I don't want to be dragged to an insane asylum."

"Then lets hurry to the dorm!" Yang exclaimed, her and Blake locking onto his arms as Ruby pulled his legs out from under him. "We ride!" And the three of them took off, carrying a struggling Ichigo on their shoulders, barreling past other students as Weiss stumbled after them.

It took no time to reach their room at the clip they ran at, and when they busted into their room, the girls tossed Ichigo onto a bed as they panted for breath.

"You know that you people are insane, right?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.

"We..just wanted...an explanation..." Yang panted, grinning broadly.

"I hate you people so much." Weiss said as she came in, clutching her head and wincing.

"Hey, you are the one who slammed your head into a pillar, Weiss." Blake countered.

She just walked past them to the bathroom. "Oh, shut up you. I am going to get some aspirin."

"We are getting off track guys!" Yang turned to Ichigo, prodding him in the chest after he had sat up. "Now tell us, what is so special about your powers."

"Um, before I do. Have any of you heard a fable or story involving afterlife warriors?"

"Oh, you mean the ones Dad would tell us that he learned from Ozpin when they were in school together?" Yang asked. "Where there were warriors called Shinigami who fought creatures called Hollows that traversed through dimensions?"

"Yep, those are the ones. Specifically, do you remember the one involving three traitors?"

"Yeah." Yang said demurely. "That one was depressing. I mean, the hero disappeared after taking the fight to the enemy and the biggest traitor caused the world to fall apart. What does this have to do with anything though?"

Before Ichigo could reply, Ruby shrieked and jumped back. "No way! No freaking way!"

While the girls looked at her oddly, Ichigo nodded his head, confirming her suspicions. Ruby gave a fangirl squeal before falling to a dead faint. "What was that about?" Weiss asked, poking her head back in.

"Ruby understood what I was getting at and passed out." Ichigo replied, turning to face her, then returning his attention back. "I promise this will be the last thing I ask before explaining. Yang, do you remember how the stories described the hero?"

Scrunching her nose in thought, Yang thought back to the stories and slowly spoke. "The hero was a person with a strong sense of justice. He was very protective of those he cared about, friends and family alike, and constantly swayed enemies to be his friends. He befriended humans, Shinigami, and even Hollows, and fought fiercely to protect them. Before he disappeared, he went to where the enemy was located, a dimension named Heudo Mungo or something. And when he tried to save his friends, they watched him enter a portal, chasing an enemy, and was never seen again."

"What did he look like?"

"Well, he was tall, wore a black outfit with a white sash and he had a mask that looked like the hollows that he could pull out of nothingness." She shrugged. "But that is just a fable, so why bring it up?"

"Because I am that hero." Ichigo said.

The three girls still conscious peered at him before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, that is rich!"

"As if you, someone who is fifteen years old, could be someone from an age-old fable!" Weiss choked out.

"I will prove it then." Their laughter was interrupted with they looked at him. They watched him pull a hand over his face and form the mask, albeit slightly different from the story. That one was a mere replication of a skull. This one looked simply demonic. The mask had two horns growing out of the top of it, pointing forward, and the eyes lost all color to an empty black. Tribal markings similar to the story covered it, though, and everyone was sold in that instant.

He sighed as he released the mask, for everyone had fainted like Ruby had, minus the fangirl scream. "Maybe that was a bad plan..."


	3. A Not so Average Day

Gazing down at the girls in front of him, Ichigo let loose a sigh._ 'Yup, definitely a bad plan.'_

After revealing the truth and watching the remaining three girls fall unconscious, Ichigo dispelled the mask he brought out. _'It is odd though. The mask has changed a lot since my last use of it.'_ Sighing again, he put each girl into a bed.

_**"That is because you died, you weak ass king!"**_

The peace he had been experiencing was shattered with that voice. Repressing the urge to retaliate mentally, Ichigo got comfortable on a bed before replying. _'I died?'_ His reward for meeting aggression with a passive reply was to be yanked from his consciousness to his inner world. He saw that the world was a bit overcast among the towers standing tall, but mixed in were several skyscrapers that had collapsed. The bottom of the world was a bit waterlogged, however. His wandering gaze passed over to the hollow part of him, at least, what he thought was the hollow he knew.

The form it took was reminiscent of the hollow his father described, except dressed in a white shihakusho, like an inverted shinigami. The other stand out features were his waist-long white hair and the plumes of black fur around its wrists, ankles and shoulders.

_**"Don't you patronize me, bastard!" **_The hollow growled as it stalked forward to Ichigo. _**"How can you think of using me for something like that after dying as you did?"**_

"I am not patronizing you." Ichigo said, looking unflinchingly at the aspect of himself. "I honestly do not know what you mean. When did I die?"

_**"Remember? You took a cero straight to the chest. If I had not taken over in time and regenerated us, you would be dead at that scum's feet." **_The hollow spat out.

_**"Then I have to thank you for saving me."** _Ichigo said sincerely.

The hollow faltered in its advance. _**"Wait, just like that? Why are you not quaking in your boots at me taking control?"**_

"Why would I be? I mean, you are a part of who I am. You want what's best for me." Ichigo stated, like it were an everyday fact.

Shaking his head angrily, the hollow began again in its advance. _**"How the hell can listening to one damn recording change your mind after all the attempts I made?"**_

"The recording changed how I saw you. Before, I thought you were an invader, an infection that was trying to rob me of my mind and sanity." Ichigo softly stated. "Now, I recognize that you are a part of me. I recognize that if I reject you, I reject a fundamental part of myself."

The hollow stopped its advance directly in front of Ichigo, leering into his eyes with its piercing gaze. _**"So what?"**_ He scoffed. _**"Am I supposed to just roll over now and accept you as king? What about that other bastard that resides here?"**_

"No!" Ichigo barked out, startling the aspect. "I am not king, nor are you! We are one and the same, with you as the instinct that drives me forward, the instinct to survive that keeps me going, just as he has been the weapon I wield!" Ichigo put his hand out for the hollow to accept, and when the hollow hesitated, another voice spoke up.

**"But how can you accept him if you do not completely understand him, Ichigo?"** From around the side of the building came the other part of Ichigo, his coat shifting despite the lack of wind. **"Or how can you accept me if you don't understand me, either."**

_**"Do you think he is even ready to learn?"**_ The masked man asked, turning from Ichigo.

"Ready to learn what?" Ichigo asked in confusion. "What would I have to learn?"

Both spirits looked at him before sharing a glare at each other once more. _**"Think back, Ichigo. What is it that I told you when we first met?"**_

"You told me that you were Zangetsu." Ichigo stated simply. "Why? What of it?" The deadpan glare was shared between both spirits made Ichigo feel like he was missing something. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

_**"You are an idiot. We are doing to you exactly what you just did to your teammates, Ichigo."**_ The hollow said, whacking him on top of the head.

Mumbling a few choice words under his breath, Ichigo thought harder about what they meant, his eyes widening when he realized what they meant. "Wait, then you are actually Zangetsu, aren't you?" Ichigo asked, pointing at Zangetsu.

_**"No shit, Sherlock."**_

"But you are the hollow part of me..."

Zangetsu sighed before speaking. _**"I have to spell everything out for you, don't I, Ichigo? I am a mix of your hollow and shinigami powers, dipshit!" **_He then pointed over to the fake Zangetsu. _**"That fuck over there is the aspect of your Quincy power!"**_

"Oh." Ichigo brushed it off quickly though. "And? You two are still a part of me. It just changes who I refer to as Zangetsu."

The quincy aspect, expecting a different response, opened and closed his mouth, repeating this motion a few times, before giving a deadpanned **"What?"**

"What do you mean, 'what?' Did you think that after all my dad said, you would be rejected by me?"

_**"Kinda, yeah. You don't exactly have a positive track record for accepting hollows or Quincies, Ichigo."**_

"Whaaat? No way." Ichigo denied flippantly.

**"Well, you hunted hollows down because they were hollows nine times out of ten for one thing."**

"Fishbone D attacked my family, Hexapodus was trying to kill a little boy, Sora killed himself on my blade, and Shrieker was killing humans for fun!" Ichigo said, listing off a few of the hollows he purified. "Almost all of the others threatened my friends or family in some form or other!"

**"What about Grimmjow?"**

"Oh, him? He was just a dick." Was the casual reply.

The two spirits looked at each other, with the Quincy aspect shrugging.

_**"Alright then, explain Ishida!"**_

"You mean Uryu Ishida, who I befriended after he broke hollow bait because of his racism? The Quincy I trust to have my back in the middle of a fight?"

Again, the two aspects had no rebuttal. Zangetsu covered one of his eyes with a hand as he spoke. _**"Wow. Sorry for doubting ya."**_

"Damn straight. You should be! I mean, you two are me as well, so how can you doubt yourselves?"

_**"Shut up, idiot, and don't push it. You are still a dick."**_

"And you are still a bastard. But you both are my partners."

**"So I guess I should probably stop stifling your power, huh?" **The fake Zangetsu said offhandedly.

Ichigo, yet again, gave a deadpanned look at the spirit. "You've been what now?"

**"Well, I figured that if I held back your power, you would turn away from your shinigami and hollow side for strength and turn to your Quincy strength."**

_**"Fucking bastard." **_Zangetsu muttered, only to be ignored.

"Couldn't that be why I was killed then?"

**"...Shut up."**

"No, seriously. If you were not holding back my strength, I wouldn't have died to Ulquiorra! What the hell?!"

**"It was the best plan I could come up with, Ichigo."**

"Whatever." Ichigo said, thoroughly miffed. "Anyways, I think we should wait before we do that. Don't want to harm Ruby and the rest." Ichigo stretched before looking at Zangetsu. "If that is all, could you let me back into my body?"

_**"Yeah yeah, get lost, King."**_

As Ichigo faded out of his Inner World, he left the two aspects with some final words. "Zangetsu, feel free to give him hell." The two aspects looked at each other, one of them sweating.

**"That went better than expected." **The Quincy said, hoping to change the subject. **"I thought we were going to have to beat some sense into him."**

_**"Same here. Bah, whatever. At least he doesn't see me as some beast now." **_Zangetsu said, shrugging again before glaring._** "You are not getting off that easily though."**_

The Quincy aspect looked at him stoically before disappearing in a burst of hirenkyaku. _**"It is on, old man!"**_

**(XoxoX)**

"Ugh, my head." Weiss said as she woke up.

"Tell me about it, Princess." Yang replied, clutching her head.

"Please...stop talking..." Blake said as her head ached fiercely.

"You're awake!" Ruby said, bouncing in place.

"I hate you." Blake groaned.

"Who cares about that? Did you guys dream of our teammate being an ancient hero?" Yang said.

"""Yes."""

"So unless we are psychically linked to each other, that really happened."

"It did. Sorry about that." Ichigo cut in, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't think you guys would faint."

Blake stared at him incredulously. "What did you think we would do? You, a living legend from the past, appeared out of literally nowhere and ended up on our team. How does one not simply faint?"

Thinking about it, Ichigo realized that he couldn't come up with a retort. "I...don't know."

"Idiots." Weiss grumbled.

"Oh, you know you love us." Yang said teasingly, earning a pillow to the face.

"Anyways, where do you guys want to go from here?" Ichigo asked, looking at the four of them. "Because I would rather work with you guys as if I were not some hero."

"How could I?" Ruby exclaimed, grabbing his hands. "I mean, you are what inspired me to be a huntress! You are almost the embodiment of protection, for dust's sake!" Stars filled her eyes as she ranted on. "And I mean, come on, a blade that changes its shape entirely? Too cool!"

"Hold it, Ruby, no need to get all grabby." Yang said as she pulled back on her sister's hood. "We still need to introduce the rest of us to him." Turning to him, she stood and struck a confident pose. "I am Yang Xiao Long, older sister to Ruby here!"

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation." She was clearly irked still, but spoke respectfully.

"Blake Belladonna, nice to meet you." The black haired girl said softly.

"Ruby Rose, at your service!" The final member said, causing her sister to raise her eyebrows.

"Oh? I didn't know you were that forward, Ruby."

"What do you me-oh. Oh! Yang, you pervert!" She said, blushing up a storm, matching Ichigo's degree of blush.

"Oh, you two are so innocent!" Yang cheered. "This is going to be fun!"

"A-anyways," Ichigo cut in, the blush still dusting his face, "I was serious about my question. What do you guys want to do about the information?"

"Well, first off, Nora can't know." Weiss said. "She called that you were, word for word, 'a dimensional warrior from a different time'."

"I don't know, I would like to see her hold it over your head on how she was right and you were not. I mean, you shot her down pretty fiercely." Yang said, contemplating the idea seriously.

"I think that it is best no one learns as well." Blake said. "We will be getting enough attention as it is with a fifth team member. If people found out about his past, we would get no privacy."

Ruby shuddered at the though. "So yeah, no one finds out. This will be our little secret."

"Thank you guys. It is good to know I can trust you." Ichigo said as he shot them all a smile, making Ruby blush as the others smiled as well. "Now, what does our leader say we should do?"

"I say it is time to unpack!" Ruby announced, jumping in place.

And with her declaration, they began to do just that.

Ichigo, having nothing to unpack himself, helped out Blake with setting up her books off in a corner, pulling them out so she could focus on sorting. It went well until one in particular caught his eye. "Ninjas of Love?" He muttered to himself, loud enough for Blake to hear him. Looking up, she saw a blush begin to spread as her eyes shrank. "I am not even going to ask." He told her, knowing he would regret it in some form or another if he had. He almost laughed when she snatched it out of his hands and hid it.

"Let's...not speak of this to them, okay?" She asked, silently pleading with her eyes in an almost cat-like manner.

Shrugging, Ichigo went along with it. "Not a problem."

When he opened his eyes after shrugging, his breathing hitched. Though it was a subtle, light smile she had, he couldn't help but be distracted by it. Shaking his head, Ichigo looked up, pondering his reaction, then ran to Ruby, stopping her before she could cut the drapes she put up with her scythe. "Hehe, thanks, Ichigo." She said, looking sheepish.

"No problem, Ruby."

Yang and Weiss managed without him, putting up their decorations without any issues, before they stepped back and looked at the glaring one. All five of their beds were in a pile in the middle of the room.

"Maybe you guys brought too much stuff?" Ichigo offered.

"No, you must have. These dorms are large enough for four people teams." Weiss retorted.

"I own only the clothes on my back, my sword Zangetsu, and this black box that I refuse to let go of." Ichigo stated calmly, making Weiss freeze and back off.

"Ah, right, time travel. Sorry about that."

"Not an issue." Ichigo said. "And I am not the one with way too many clothes."

"Hey!"

"Maybe we can get rid of these beds for bunk beds." Ruby offered, before remembering that there was one extra bed. "Well, two bunk beds and a normal one."

"That...that could work." Ichigo said, contemplating the idea.

"It is practical, saving a lot of space and all that." Blake added.

"No, absolutely not! That's way too dangerous!" Weiss grumbled, folding her arms.

"But sounds entirely awesome!" Yang shouted gleefully.

"Sounds like we are a go for bunk beds!" Ichigo said before looking at them. "So, do we have any wood?"

"Well, we don't." Yang said, nudging her elbow into his ribs, making him sputter.

"Not what I meant, Yang! I meant the building supply."

"Oooh. No, no we don't." Ruby said, lowering her arms a bit.

"Any tools or hardware?"

"Only rope." Ruby said, drooping a bit.

Ichigo sighed. "So what was your plan?"

"Prop one bed up using some books on another bed while hanging a bed by rope over another?" She said hesitantly.

"No. Just...just no." Ichigo sighed before looking at them. "Do any of you know where I can get tools so that we can to this properly?"

"I saw a shed in the court yard that might have what you need." Blake offered. Thanking her, Ichigo took off at a speed that was inhuman in their eyes. Ruby just geeked out over it, excited that her role model was as awesome as she expected. Seconds later, he was back with an armful of wood, long screws, and a drill resting on top.

"Alright ladies, let's do this!" Ichigo quickly set to work, lining the wood up with the posts before locking them in place with some screws. It took time, enough so that the girls left and came back with a lot of food from the cafeteria, but in the end was worth it, for the bunk beds were sturdy enough that they could have been mistaken for the real thing. In between both bunks was a normal bed, situated so that everyone still had room to move freely.

"So a hero who fought the dead as well as a handyman. I am so glad I called dibs on you." Yang said, thoroughly impressed.

"Thank you, thank you!" Ichigo said while bowing, hamming it up. The girls laughed at his antics before turning to Ruby. "So, what now, oh wise leader?"

"That's simple!" She chirped, pulling out a schedule. "We just have to go over what classes we have! We seem to share Grimm Studies with Professor Port, followed by Dueling with Professor Goodwitch and Military and General History with Professor Oobleck. Huh, it seems that Ichigo has two classes with Oobleck."

"Makes sense." Ichigo said, rubbing his chin. "After all, I know nothing about this world, so supplementary lessons are a given."

"But how would Ozpin know?" Weiss asked.

"Why do you think he took me away when he learned my name?" Ichigo shot back.

"That makes sense..." Weiss murmured before snapping. "And don't answer my questions with a question! It's annoying!"

"Yeah yeah, princess, whatever you say." Ichigo said in an uninterested tone.

"It's heiress, you insufferable...dunce!"

"Awww, they're adorable." Yang cooed, ribbing Ruby, eliciting a laugh from her. Weiss just huffed, sitting down on her bed.

"But yeah, Ozpin knows about me. He is actually the one who gave me this box." Ichigo revealed, showing them the cube.

"What's it do?" Yang asked, leaning over and prodding it.

"It projects a hologram of the person who recorded it." Ichigo deadpans.

"Knowing you, I am not doubting it for a second." Was Blake's response as she shook her head, causing the other girls to laugh.

"Must be pretty advanced." Yang said as she continued prodding it before accidentally pushing a button on it. "Oops!"

"Oops? Why did you say oops?" Ichigo inquired, looking hesitant.

"I might have activated it." She said before the light show began. It unfolded and the projection began before Ichigo managed to stop it, leaving them in a dumbfounded silence.

"If anyone else had said that had happened, I would have to commit them into an asylum." Blake said dryly.

Ichigo shrugged. "Hey, Kisuke is a mad scientist. Does it really surprise you that he was this prepared based on my legend?"

Weiss raised a finger as she took in a breath to speak before lowering it. "You know what? I don't even care, I just don't." She took her pajamas with her into the bathroom and spoke from in there. "I have had enough insanity for one day. I am going to bed." Coming out in her sleeping gown, she put her outfit in a hamper before slipping under the sheets of the bottom left bunk. "I am so done. Goodnight."

"But Wei-"

"I said goodnight!" Weiss interrupted headedly

"It is pretty late out." Ichigo said, peering out from behind the drapes covering the window.

Turning around, he saw that Yang had already begun changing...in the middle of the room. Choking on his saliva, Ichigo raced to the bathroom and shut himself inside. "Have some modesty, woman!" He cried out over the blonde's laughter.

"Awww, was someone embarrassed?" She called out, cackling.

"S-shut up!"

A couple minutes passed before Ichigo heard Blake say that they were finished. Taking a deep breath, he turned the handle and left the bathroom, letting it loose in relief when it turned out they hadn't tricked him.

Seeing the middle bed left alone, Ichigo slipped in, and allowed his thoughts to roam.

_'You know, being sent to this time may not have been a bad thing.' _Ichigo thought to himself, staring at the ceiling. _'I mean, sure, my world ended, but if it hadn't then these four wouldn't be alive. They would not be joking around, preparing to protect humanity, and living their lives the way they were meant to.' _He then rolled onto his side, eyes slowly closing. _'Maybe...I won't mind staying here...'_

A quiet voice broke through his musings. "Thanks for being real, Ichigo." It was Ruby, propping herself up by her elbow, looking down to him. "It helps to know that people such as yourself really exist in this world."

"S'no problem, Ruby." He whispered back, making her smile.

_'She's just like my sisters were.'_ Ichigo thought to himself as she rolled over. _'Yeah...I would not hate being here...for the time being at least...' _He thought to himself before closing his eyes and allowing his mind to rest.

* * *

**Aaaand that's a wrap!  
**

**So, just have to say a few things. First of all, thank you guys for the support. It really helped me as I wrote.**

**Secondly, do not expect the rate I kept up to last. It was a special week. I do plan on at least a chapter a week though. No promises. **

**Lastly, thanks again to Dosudro, because sheesh, Strawberry's last update would have been so much worse without him.**

**Peace!**

**[Edit 3/4/15] I removed him getting the Asauchi because I got a better idea that seemed less deus ex machina-ish.**


	4. Start of a New Life

"Awww, look at him!" Yang said in a hushed whisper as she and the other three girls of her team dressed into their uniforms. "He looks so peaceful right now!"

"It's hard not to when he is constantly scowling when he is awake, Yang." Weiss shot back in a hushed whisper.

"But still, he is just adorable!" The blonde said a bit loudly, causing him to stir. Blake shot her a look, telling her to be quiet, but Ichigo was already waking up. With a yawn, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"What's all th-" His sentence caught in his throat, Ichigo paused at the sight before him. Each of his teammates were half dressed, standing still, with Weiss and Ruby beginning to blush. "Never mind, I am still asleep." He fell back down into his bed, pulling the sheets over his head. "Yup, still asleep. No way I saw that." He froze when a foreign weight pushed his bed down by his feet, then began to sweat as the weight began to move, shifting to both sides of the bed, then advancing up the bed.

"Oh? Did you not like what you saw, Ichigo?" Yang asked in a sultry voice.

"Ah-" He tried to reply, yet only air escaped from his mouth in a breath, almost entirely without noise. Then, in a moment, the weight left as Blake spoke.

"Leave him alone, Yang." She said dryly. "We are living and working with him, so try not to make him freak out, alright?"

"But Blake!" The blonde said, her voice moving away as if she were being dragged from the room.

"No buts, Yang!" The door suddenly closed and a slam met it afterwards. "Ichigo, when the door closes again, all of us will be gone. You can leave your bed then, alright?"

"Got it. And thanks, Blake."

She chuckled before replying. "Not a problem. See you in class, Berry-boy!" The door closed as Ichigo threw the covers from his head, prepared to yell at the girl in mock anger, before seeing the room empty of others._'Oh, how I hope that doesn't happen again.'_ He thought to himself while getting off the bed. Looking around, he saw a box with his name on it. Peering inside, he saw a pile of uniforms with a note on top.

_"I took the liberty of getting you some uniforms, Ichigo._  
_You're welcome."_

_-Ozpin_

Shrugging, he passed it off as an Urahara thing before grabbing one of the uniforms. Knowing that he had time still before class began, Ichigo went to the showers and took his time, letting the shower wash away the stress that had been building, stress he hadn't noticed building._ 'I guess it makes sense though.'_ Ichigo thought to himself as he lathered._ 'I mean, time travel? That kind of thing only happened in fiction. Wait.' _Ichigo paused, dragging up an older memory. _'Yoruichi did mention something about the Dangai's walls forcing people into the future. I guess that I did get some form of heads up, even if I never thought much of it.' _His hands paused over the middle of his chest, right over where a perfectly circular scar was located, and he grimaced. _'And I guess Zangetsu, man it is weird calling him that, was right about me dying. I mean, Ulquiorra had some seriously overpowered Ceros, and he shot one right into my chest.' _Shaking his head, Ichigo finished up both his shower and his line of thought. _'This is one hell of a situation you have gotten yourself into, Ichigo.'_

Toweling himself off, Ichigo left the stall he entered and returned to his clothes, putting them on, returning to his room to deposit his laundry as he spotted the time.

_'Crap, got to get to class! Wait, how do I find my way to class anyways?!'_

**(XoxoX)**

"Do you think it was right of us to just leave Ichigo behind like that?" Ruby asked, looking nervously out the window. The girls had made it to class early, but there wasn't much time left before class began and Ichigo hadn't made it to class yet.

"Oh, I am sure that pervert will be just fine." Weiss growled, resting with perfect posture, a glare marring her face.

"But Ichigo didn't do anything perverted, Weiss." Blake replied, still reading her book. "If anything, he is a good person for not staring at us and Yang is the pervert." Yang feigned a betrayed look at her partner's words.

"I am not!" She said, crossing her arms. "I just wanted to tease him a bit! He is just so innocent!"

Blake closed her book with a snap and gave the blonde a dry look. "Yeah, because he is fifteen."

"So? It isn't like what I did was illegal."

"Doesn't have to be illegal to make you a pervert."

"None of this is answering my question, guys." Ruby said, pouting.

Weiss grumbled at her team's antics as the door burst open, revealing Ichigo as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

"See, he made it!" Yang exclaimed as Ichigo rolled his eyes and took a seat.

"Yeah, no thanks to you guys. Couldn't you have just given me a map?" Ichigo asked indignantly, much to the amusement of his team.

"Ahem." Looking behind himself, Ichigo saw the person that cleared his throat.

"Ah, sorry Professor Port." He said respectfully before taking his seat between Blake and Weiss.

Barely five minutes passed before Ichigo was bored out of his mind. The portly professor had not only managed to make one of the most cheesy introductory speeches Ichigo had ever heard, the man had also already fell into a tangent of a story about himself as a kid. It was as if the old man was entirely unaware of how every student but Weiss clocked out entirely in some form or another, be it sleeping, doodling or reading. Frankly, the only amusement he was getting was from Ruby's childish antics that seemed to be the complete opposite of the points their professor was making. He was also aware of how the heiress beside him was getting incredibly pissed off about said antics.

"And does anyone feel that they exhibit these traits of a true Huntsman or Huntress?"

"I do." Ichigo said lazily, beating his teammate to the punch. He motioned with his eyes that they would talk about it after class when she glared intensely at him.

"Good lad!" Professor Port said, clasping him on his back. "Now, come down here to prove it!" Ichigo complied, walking down quickly as the old man brought out a cage with a Grimm inside of it. "Now, let's see if you have what it takes to take on Edgar!" Not giving the boy a moment to get ready, the professor brought his weapon down on the lock that kept the Grimm in the cage and a boar-like creature forced itself out, immediately charging Ichigo.

He heard Ruby gasp, pointing out the beast was a Boarbatusk as Yang and Blake cheered for him, each waving a flag with his face on it. Ichigo just jumped over the Grimm, making it turn around and face him again. It snorted and pawed the ground as Ichigo cocked a fist back. With no other warning than a war cry, the Boarbatusk rushed Ichigo, only to stop on the spot when he met it mid-charge, punching it between the eyes and cracking the plates of natural armor located there. Everyone, including his team, gasped in shock as the beast trotted back a bit, snorting.

"Try hitting it in the stomach!" Ruby called out to him. "It has no armor there!"

The only way anyone knew he listened to her was when they saw him grab the beast by its tusks and flip it onto its back when it tried charging him again, grabbing Zangetsu from his back and stabbing it into the beast's belly. The class clapped as the beast stopped moving after a high-pitched squeal. Ichigo dusted himself off as their teacher congratulated him. "It seems that you do have what it takes to be a true Huntsman-in-training, Mr. Kurosaki!" The man boisterously exclaimed. "But that is all the time we have for today. Do read your assigned pages tonight, for we will go over them tomorrow!"

The class began to chatter as they left, though the RBY of Team RWBY pat him on the back as they left. It wasn't until they left the lecture hall that Weiss pulled him aside. Ruby made to see what was going on before Ichigo shook his head, telling her that they will catch up later. It wasn't until they were alone in the courtyard that Weiss turned to him.

"What was that about!" Weiss demanded. "I was going to prove myself to be more fit a leader than Ruby is!"

"I know." Ichigo stated, taking the heiress aback. "That is why I volunteered. I knew that you would have gotten hurt because of your feelings distracting you and I wanted to avoid that."

"And? I would still have proven myself a better leader." Weiss huffed.

"But you didn't, and not because of me interrupting you volunteering." The teen replied, making her look at him curiously.

"And why, pray tell, would you say that?"

"Because of three simple reasons." Ichigo then lifted a hand, extending one finger. "The first was of your reasons for wanting to fight. They were for self-serving reasons that were spawned because you didn't get what you wanted." Weiss would have cut in, but Ichigo's follow-up held a tone that wouldn't accept that. "Now I am not saying that I know you, because I don't really know any of you, and I will not claim to know what your home life was like. However, I can assume you had everything you wanted handed to you because of your reaction to not getting what you desired."

"The second reason is that Ruby was the one coaching me in the fight." Ichigo said as he lifted a second finger. "While you were glaring at me, Ruby had told me facts that would be important in any fight: the name of the thing I was fighting and its weakness. We both know I didn't need it, but she cared enough for my safety that she told me this."

He then lifted a third finger as Weiss donned a contemplative look. "The clincher, however, is that Ozpin chose her to be leader." This statement drew a confused reaction from Weiss.

"Why would that be important to you?"

"It is because of who he descended from." Ichigo said, staring the girl down. "I may not know Ozpin himself, but I knew Urahara, and what I know is that above all else, everything he did had a very sound reason for, and said reason was always thoroughly thought out, if a bit shadily done. So don't be surprised that I find it hard to believe that trait wouldn't be passed down his the family."

"But what should I do to if I shouldn't be a leader?" Weiss asked after a moment's silence, looking down as if she were lost in thought.

"Why not be as strong a friend and teammate as you possibly can be?" Ichigo inquired. "Just because you are not leader doesn't mean you are not a strong fighter, so why don't you improve upon that and become recognized as someone who is strong enough to keep her friends safe and protected?"

Weiss contemplated the idea before she gave a self-depreciating laugh. "And here I thought you were just a punk who wanted to upstage me. Who knew that you, someone who is two years my junior, would be the one to talk me to my senses." She then looked up at Ichigo, staring into his face. "But why are you so powerful? What drives you to gain the strength you have now?"

"My drive is the need to protect those important to me." Ichigo said as he looked out in the distance. "I admit that I enjoy fighting, but the reason I fight is so that those I care about are safe."

"But because of your...problem...they are all gone. What drives you now?"

Ichigo sighed before he replied. "Honestly, I don't know. Maybe it is the hope that Ozpin can find a way to send me back to my time. Don't get me wrong, you and everyone else in our team are fun to talk to, but this time doesn't feel like home to me. Not yet at least." He craned his head slightly to peer at Weiss. "As long as I am here, though, I might as well protect you four as well as Remnant." He then sat on a bench, reclining slightly.

Weiss sat down beside him, putting a little distance, before she spoke up. "Thanks for talking, Ichigo."

"Not a problem, Weiss. I mean, it isn't like I had a choice initially." He said, figuratively ribbing her as he smirked.

"Oh hush you." She jokingly snapped. They jumped a bit when a loud bell rang, signaling that the next class was about to begin. "I forgot about class!" She yelped, her voice jumping a couple octaves.

"Do you know where it is?" Ichigo asked, standing tall and stretching.

"Yeah, why?" She gave him a curious look before yelping again as he lifted her in a princess carry. "Let me down, you brute!"

"Bear with it for now, Princess. Just guide me as I run." And before she could scold him for calling her a princess, he took off in a burst of pure speed. She guided him as he requested, too scared to do anything else, and they managed to barge into class in the nick of time.

"And you were calling us perverted?" Yang asked with a smirk when Weiss got out of Ichigo's arms. Weiss looked at what Yang was looking at and saw her clothes and ponytail looking a bit disheveled. A furious blush covered the girl's face before Ichigo replied in her stead, despite a considerable blush of his own.

"I just carried her because we were going to be late. There were some issues that needed to be talked through, that's all."

"Oh sure, there were things you had to 'talk about'." Yang said, crossing her arms with a cocky, yet disbelieving look, before dropping the subject.

Glynda took this time to enter the room, pacing in front of the crowd of students as she began her lecture. "I am sure all of you here think that Grimm are the only threats out there. Let me tell you right now: you are wrong. Just as you fight Grimm, you are also military and will be used to handle Humans and Faunus alike who get too rowdy. As such, you will be getting vital combat experience in my class through duels. These duels will change in how they work. You could have a one on one match, a fight between teams, or even a whole team against you alone." With a snap of her riding crop, her pacing stopped, standing at attention in front of everyone. "These are to simulate the random nature of encounters that you will come across. Of course, at the end of each class, I will allow one of you to choose who and how you want to fight. Is there any question?" She paused a moment, looking at each student, before resuming. "Good. The first match will be Kurosaki Ichigo and Cardin Winchester."

Ichigo groaned, hearing the slightly spiteful tone she used when she said his name.

"What's wrong, Ichigo?" Ruby asked as he got up. "He doesn't stand a chance against you."

The teen laughed, missing the other boy mentioned bristling at her words, before replying. "Nah, it isn't that. I just know that Gly-err, Miss Goodwitch is going to try and bother me as much as she can."

"How'd you piss her off?" Blake asked, looking up from her book.

"Eh, pulling technicalities on her during my conversations with Ozpin might be why."

"Mr. Kurosaki! Get down there already." Glynda snapped.

Raising his hands in surrender as his friends(?) laughed, Ichigo jumped down into the pit, leaving his sword sheathed as Cardin pulled out his giant mace. "I'll show you and your team your place for mocking me, Kurosaki!" Cardin snarled as he pointed his mace at Ichigo. The orange-headed teen just scratched his head as two pictures, one of him and one of Cardin, appeared above them, both having energy bars appear under them.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He said in a bored tone, further angering the other teen.

"Let the match...begin!" Glynda called, chopping her crop through the air.

The moment she called the match's beginning, Cardin charged forward with, swinging his flanged mace down from above him. Ichigo just eyed it with a bored expression before stepping to the side, tripping Cardin in the process. "What was that? Did you say something about showing me my place? How can you do that from the ground?" Ichigo taunted. The taunt succeeded, making his opponent shout before bull-rushing Ichigo, wildly swinging his mace around. Ichigo almost laughed at how easily he could side step or otherwise move with minimal effort to avoid getting hit. The students watching were laughing as Ichigo made a fool of him

"Stand! Still! You! Cowardly! Strawberry!" Cardin called out between each swing. Ichigo bristled at the taunt and complied, taking the boy's mace to the head as said mace caused a small explosion from the red Dust center. As the dust from the explosion subsided, everyone held a collective breath, thinking that Ichigo was going to be seriously hurt. When the dust settled, both Cardin and Ichigo were shown to be standing, Ichigo no worse for wear, only glaring at Cardin as the boy began to sweat heavily. When even his uniform was shown to be undamaged, the class began to murmur as Glynda massaged her temples.

"Ow." Ichigo deadpanned before moving the mace away from his head with a single finger. "That hurt." Then, faster than anyone could see, Ichigo knocked the boy out with a punch right to the face, knocking him across the arena. "And don't call me Strawberry."

"Winner, Ichigo Kurosaki." Glynda called out unnecessarily. Ichigo just jumped up from the arena to the stands, sitting back by his team as they looked at him in wonder.

"Now, for the next match!"

**(XoxoX)**

"-and then you were all like, POW!" Ruby exclaimed as they sat down in the cafeteria to eat lunch. "Then he was all like, 'Ow, I am beaten!'"

Ichigo chuckled at his leader's recounting of his curb-stomping of Cardin. _'Yep, just like a little sister.'_

Weiss just looked at Ichigo as if he were a mystery to be solved before chiming in. "How did you take that hit without even a scratch on your clothing, Ichigo?"

"I have a really dense 'Aura'." Ichigo said to her.

"Still, that was really impressive. Especially after you practically ran circles around him as you taunted the poor boy." Yang cut in, bouncing in her seat. "I mean, you never even drew your sword!"

Ichigo shrugged, taking a bite of his food. "Zangetsu would never let me live it down if I had to draw my sword on him."

"Zangetsu?" Blake asked as her bow twitched, the slight movement being caught only by Ichigo's eye.

"Ah, the spirit of my blade." Ichigo divulged.

"So, what? Is he like another personality?" Blake pushed.

"Oh yeah. He is insane and bloodthirsty." Ichigo scoffed. "At least the other spirit in me keeps him quiet most of the time."

"...Other spirit?" Weiss asked, her eye twitching. "So you have three unique personalities in that head of yours. No wonder you are a bit crazy."

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort but found himself unable to deny her claim. He instead opted to eat more of his food, ignoring the question entirely. Yet as he took his bite, he heard a girl with a heavy accent of some kind cry out in pain. Looking over, he saw Cardin tugging on the girl's...rabbit ears? And based on the strength behind the tugs, they seemed to be an actual part of her.

Swallowing, Ichigo stood up and approached the scene. "Yo Cardin, are you ready to get beat down again?" The boy he called out to froze and turned robotically to Ichigo, freezing when he saw the teen cracking his knuckles. Opting to not reply, he moved to get away before he felt a hand clasp his shoulder and shove him back into the seat.

"W-what's u-up, Ichigo?" The giant teen asked nervously, sweating up a storm.

"Oh nothing, just thought I saw someone bullying another person. I must have been wrong though, right?" Ichigo said, turning Cardin to face his glare up close. "Because if I saw correctly, I would have no option but to beat the fear of God into him."

"O-o-of course you saw wrong! I-I would never t-think of bullying a bea-Faunus!" He said, hastily correcting himself when he almost called her a beast.

"Good!" Ichigo's glare turned to a smile on a dime. "Now go back to your table!" Cardin and his team didn't hesitate for a moment to take this chance to escape. As they hurried away, the Faunus looked down shyly as she tugged on his sleeve.

"Thank you, sir." She said timidly.

"No problem." Ichigo said simply, flashing her a slight smile before returning to his table smiling. "Sorry about that. I just can't stand bullying because of something someone is born with."

"Wait, you don't have issues with Faunus?" Blake asked him, looking hopeful for some reason he couldn't think of.

"There is that word again. What is a Faunus?" Ichigo whispered, genuinely confused.

Weiss opened and closed her mouth quickly before smacking her head. "Right. 'The issue.'" She said to herself more than anyone else.

"Quite simply, they are people with some kind of animalistic trait." Blake answered. "These can show up in many ways, including, but not limited to: claws, fangs, skin, or ears," she pointed at the girl he saved for an example, "and all come in different kinds animal species. Most Faunus can even see in the dark. Quite often though, they are discriminated against, treated as nothing more than animals."

"That's some bullshit." Ichigo stated bluntly, shocking them. "Who cares if they have traits of animals? In my book, that makes them more awesome than a normal person. I mean, come on!"

Blake smiled warmly at his stance, as did Yang and Ruby, though Weiss remained silent.

The rest of the lunch period went by with small talk being shared, though one of the members remained silent as she picked at her food,

_(XoxoX)_

"That guy drinks waaaay too much coffee." Yang said in a tired tone. "Frankly, he tired me out just looking at him."

"Yeah, and he moved so fast I could barely see him!" Ruby added.

"Yeah yeah, at least you only have one hour with him. I still have another class to go through as you guys relax!"

"Oh, you guys are just being dramatic." Blake claimed, nose deep in her book. "Professor Oobleck wasn't that bad."

The sisters of the group just shrugged before waving to Ichigo. "We'll see you afterwards, okay?"

Ichigo just waved them off before re-entering the teacher's classroom.

"Ah, Ichigo my boy! Good to see that you are taking this seriously!" Oobleck said as he sped to his student's side, much to said student's ire.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked rhetorically.

"Well, because of overconfidence from defying all of logic, my boy!"

"I-wait, what now?" Ichigo said, stepping away from the caffeine-high teacher.

"Don't play dumb boy, all of the teachers know!" Was the reply as the man shook in place. "Now sit down! You have much to learn, much indeed!"

'Of course he would tell them.' Sighing, Ichigo sat down in his seat, ready to learn about what he had missed in this travels.

"So, what would you like to learn first!"

"Could we do the Faunus today?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh? Curious about the new race you never met before?" The man said as he raised an eyebrow. "Very good! Jumping straight to the biggest change from your time!"

Ichigo listened carefully to the man as he explained the history of the Faunus people in more detail. In their allotted one hour, Oobleck caught Ichigo up from the beginning of the Faunus Rights Revolution, which sounded like an entire civil war to keep the Faunus from being segregated from humans, up to now, where the Faunus lived side by side with humans as White Fang, a once-peaceful Faunus protest group, turned to terrorism to try to get the respect that they feel they deserve.

"Thank you, Professor, for your time." Ichigo said respectfully as his head swam with the influx of information. Because of how fast Oobleck talked, he managed to crunch it all down to fit the time he had for Ichigo.

"Not a problem, Mr. Kurosaki!" The man said. "Anything to prevent ignorance from spreading!" With those words, the man parted with Ichigo to work on the paperwork on his desk.

_'Man, that guy talks fast, but I do give it to him that he teaches well.' _Ichigo thought as he walked back to to dorm. '_Still, I get now why people are so aggressive to the Faunus. That White Fang group makes co-existence hard to obtain.'_ Ichigo sighed as he walked forward, shaking his head. _'Centuries in the future, and there is still discrimination. I guess not everything can change.'_

When he reached the door to his room, Ichigo almost walked right in before he paused. Instead of barging in, he knocked in the door. "You guys decent in there?" He called out, waiting for a reply.

"Yes, we are." Was Blake's dry reply as Yang laughed uproariously.

"That's right, laugh it up Yang." Ichigo grumbled as he walked in, seeing the blonde clutching her stomach, still laughing. "It is because of you I have to ask."

"He has a point, Yang." Blake said pointedly.

"Alright, alright, maybe you are right." Yang admitted after calming down. "But your reactions are just too adorable! I mean, blushing the way you do when a bit of extra skin is shown at your age? That's just precious!"

Ichigo scowled and looked away from her, focusing on the wall to his left.

"Oh, leave him alone Yang." Ruby requested, swatting her older sister while using her puppy eyes.

"Cheater." Yang mumbled as she crossed her arms, miffed by her sister who was celebrating her victory.

Ichigo walked over to Yang and placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a serious voice. "I know your pain. I had twin younger sisters." This got Blake to snicker into her book.

"They used the puppy-eyes on you too?" Yang asked, looking up with wide eyes into his own.

"The younger one did. She got so good at it that she was more effective than Ruby is now."

"What about the other?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"She was like a female me, so she never tried that tactic."

"Gods, two of you." Weiss said as she shuddered. "That is a nightmare and a half."

"Well excuse you too, Ice Queen!" He jokingly retorted. She just glowered at him from her bunk, much to the amusement of everyone.

"Idiots." She huffed, crossing her arms as she pouted.

"We love you too, Weiss." Yang jokingly called as Ichigo backed away, laughing.

Turning away from them, Ichigo began to skim the books lining the walls, his eyes stopping over a familiar title. "Huh, I can't believe his works still exist." Ichigo said, catching their attention.

"Who's?" Blake asked, scanning the books lining the shelves.

"Shakespeare's. I mean, A Midsummer Night's Dream was an old classic from my time!" He said, picking up the book. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"

"Not at all." Blake said, motioning to him while smiling.

"Wait, you read classic literature for fun?" Weiss said, her disbelief visible everywhere on her face.

"Oh stuff it, Princess!" Ichigo growled. "I happen to enjoy his works!" As if to punctuate this face, he fell backwards into his bed and cracked open the book, slowly gliding over its lines of text.

When they got the point that he was sticking to reading, Yang grabbed her sister as she made for the door. "Well, I am bored. Come on Ruby, let's bug Vomitboy or something."

Soon after they left, Weiss went away, saying something about performing maintenance on Myrtenaster, leaving Ichigo and Blake to their reading.

"So you actually read his stories?" Blake asked as she turned a page.

"Of course. Not even my pride is enough to make me fake reading a book." Ichigo scoffed.

"...Thanks about earlier, in the cafeteria." Blake said quietly, not taking her eyes off the book.

"What for? I just did what any person should do in that situation." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That is true, but most people don't." She paused to flip a page. "Most see the Faunus being bullied and ignore it because of the fact that they are Faunus."

Ichigo placed a bookmark on page he was on and shut it, looking at Blake. "I can safely say that I am not like most people."

"True." Blake agreed with him casually.

"Anyways, at the end of the day, we are all allies training to end Grimm or any other threat to our countries. Him bullying an ally because of something as simple as species or race is deplorable."

"And that is why I am thankful." Blake said, eying him. "Because you don't care about race or species and help them regardless."

Ichigo stood up, stretching out to reduce the stiffness of his muscles. "Well, as much as it feels nice to be praised, I'm thirsty. You want me to get you anything while I am out?"

"A green tea, please."

"Alright." As he approached the door, he swore he heard footsteps running away from the door but shook it off, walking down to the vending machine at the end of the hall. Thanking the heavens that the drinks were free, Ichigo got Blake her tea as well as one for himself.

"Here you go." Ichigo said as he entered the room, tossing a drink to her as he sat back down in bed, slightly impressed when she caught it without looking up from her book. "You know, you all have been finding out so much about me; isn't it fair if I ask some questions about you?" He asked while reopening his book.

"Sure, go ahead." Though she said that, Ichigo could hear her hesitate in her words and saw the wary look she gave him.

"Why does your bow twitch?" He asked bluntly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. He saw her whole body twitch at his question and knew he struck a sore spot.

"It...it's a personal thing." She said, her eyes closing a bit.

"Does it have anything to do with how defensive of Faunus you are?" Ichigo pushed, seeing her shrink a bit.

"...Yes." She said softly, almost quiet enough for him to miss her speak.

Before his questioning continued, a laughing Yang and flustered Ruby re-entered the room. "Why did you do that, Yang?" The younger sister said, looking mortified.

"What did she do." Blake asked quickly, changing the subject that Ichigo was intent on. The teen took the hint and dropped it, laughing when he listened to Yang's antics. It wasn't long before Weiss came back as well, her rapier now clean of any dust with the Dust in the revolver portion now refilled.

"It's late and you people are up still?" She asked incredulously. "Get to sleep already!" This time, Ichigo took the shihakusho he slept in last night to the bathroom, giving the girls close to a half hour to change before going back to the room as quietly as he could. With a smile, Ichigo read some of the work he was assigned before slipping under the covers of his bed, slipping into pleasant dreams.

* * *

**Shit. 5,500 words and it didn't feel like a chore. Honestly, this one seemed to write itself!**

**I hope you enjoyed it as much as I, for this is the start of the deviation from Canon material.**


	5. The First Mission Part 1

**Alright, time for a bit if a lengthy AN.**

**Firstly, sorry for the lack of update for the past week. I get random bouts of ADHD while writing, so with how easy it is to get to TV Tropes and Youtube, I have been very easily distracted**

**Secondly, if you hadn't seen it, I uploaded another story to parallel this one, only from Kisuke's point of view. Should be interesting as I get deeper into the story.**

**Thirdly, I will update with two chapters a month for any story, but chances are that I will do more in said month. That is, of course, if the shiny distractions allow me to.**

**Fourthly, the story name was borrowed by from this author called The Inner Hollow. (He has good stories, you should read em.) While the title itself isn't the true one, he will get to me when he remembers the names of the books and I will fix them here.**

**Finally, don't, under any circumstances, look up the TV Tropes Pantheons. It is a mixture of awesome and soul-sucking time-wasting devilry.**

* * *

"Team JNPR, Ichigo Kurosaki, please enter the ring." Glynda called out.

Ichigo groaned as she continued to show her hidden hostility to him, Yang patting him on the back as he hopped into the arena, Nora following him in his jump as the rest of her team went down the stairs. With a grunt, Ichigo squared off against the team he was against, falling into a stance that Yang had been teaching him over the past month.

"Begin!"

In a flurry of motion, the team opposing Ichigo began their attack. Using her hammer, Nora blasted up, triggering again to put spin to her decent as she zoned in on him while Pyrrha fired at him with her musket. With a smirk, Ichigo tanked the bullets as he sent a quick roundhouse to bat aside Nora's hammer, its wielder following with it when he followed up with a stomp. Jaune and Ren took that time to flank him, Ren peppering his back with bullets as Jaune rushed in with a high sword strike. Ichigo grabbed Jaune's blade in one hand as he sent a kick back, clipping the black-haired teen with his foot and sending him back against the wall. Without looking back at Jaune, Ichigo struck behind him with an elbow, feeling the impact as he staggered Jaune, dropping the boy's blade afterward.

Ichigo flinched as pink explosions erupted on and around him. Ichigo turned around to face Nora who was smiling and waving at him, only to be surprised as he ducked under the shield Pyrrha threw at his head, which caught Jaune in its return arc as he stood back up, earning a general laugh from the crowd.

"I'm sorry!" She called to her apparently unconscious leader before thrusting forward with her spear, firing it to increase its speed. Ichigo only leaned his head to the side as the spear whipped by, pinning Ren to the wall behind him when he tried to recover from the kick. "Sorry again!" She called out as she vaulted over Ichigo to grab the spear from the wall, only to feel her ankle get grabbed by him and received an axe-kick to her back, knocking her out when she collided with the ground, making the crowd voice their own discomfort from watching the collision.

"I will have your knees!" Nora declared as she swing low with her hammer, her smile turning slightly sadistic. Ichigo just lifted his leg enough to catch it with his shin, making them stand still for a moment. "...I was joking?" She laughed sheepishly before he twisted his leg to slip past the hammer and nail her in the chest with his knee, knocking her back as she gasped. Ichigo dropped his pose for a moment and walked up to Ren.

"You give?" Ichigo asked as the teen dangled from his jacket.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I give."

Ichigo smirked and backed away, about to leap to the stands when he noticed something odd: the match hadn't been called yet. Looking up, Ichigo noticed something odd up above him: Jaune's aura was the only one who wasn't in the red. Turning around, Ichigo was shocked when he found out that the blonde thrust at him, the tip of his blade now poking his cheek, stopped only by a faint blue pattern under his skin.

"Well played, Jaune." Ichigo said before lashing out with elbow to his opponent's stomach, blowing the blonde back a good distance. The crowd began to mutter, surprise radiating through the students. Jaune, the class dunce, got the drop on Ichigo and came the closest to actually damaging him with an attack that the orange-headed teen hadn't intended to tank.

"Winner, Ichigo Kurosaki." Again, even though she said it in a tone that could fool anyone else, he could hear the aggravation in her voice.

_'She really has it out for me.'_ Ichigo said as he leapt up to the bleacher above the Arena. _'And I have to give that boy some credit. Even though he was weak when he entered, Jaune has improved a lot with Pyrrha's training.'_

"You kicked major butt!" Yang exclaimed, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I mean, come on! You've gotten my style down so well already!"

"Well, it isn't that hard of a style to learn." He replied dryly. "And you are the one who made me learn it so fervently."

"So?" She asked him bluntly. "Your other fights showed that you had no real style to your fighting, just clumsy but powerful blows. Now you look like a badass with powerful blows."

"Don't toot your own horn." Blake reprimanded her playfully, whacking her shoulder. "We know you are just bragging because he is using your style."

"Yup!" Was her perky reply, popping the p at the end.

"You guys are ridiculous." Weiss said with an irked expression.

"Oh, play nice Weiss." Was Ruby's response. She only got a low growl before being ignored. "Anyways, you did really well, Ichigo! I thought Jaune had you there!"

"He might have if I didn't have my 'Semblance'. That could have hurt a lot." Ichigo admitted with a shrug. "He is coming a long way in his training as well, especially tactics. They just need to work together more smoothly."

"That's an understatement. I mean, Pyrrha did some of the work for you." Blake chuckled.

"That was rather amusing, wasn't it?" Ichigo added, laughing with her.

"Yeah! She was all like 'whoosh' with her shield and you went all 'Nope!' with that duck as Jaune got laid out!" Ruby recounted excitedly, miming what happened as she spoke.

"Quiet over there!" Glynda shouted at them, the girls complying immediately.

"Yeah, whatever Ms. Goodwitch." Ichigo said in a bored tone as he reclined in a spitefully slow manner, inwardly laughing as tics formed on her head.

"Cardin Winchester." She ground out, making the boy gulp. "You are against Ichigo."

"I forfeit." He replied not even a second after, much to her increasing annoyance and Ichigo's amusement. "I enjoy fighting as much as the next guy, but I don't even stand a chance against him. I don't care about admitting it."

Before Goodwitch snapped at him, she looked at the clock and saw that didn't have enough time anyways. "That's all for today then." She ground out. "Enjoy your weekend."

Ichigo trailed behind after everyone left and turned to her. "Have a ni-"

"Go!" She shouted at him, brandishing her riding crop at him threateningly. He only laughed as he left her room to the deadpan stares of his friends.

"What?" He asked them, making their stares intensify.

"Maybe she is out to get you because of stuff like that." Blake replied, breaking her record in how dryly she could speak. Ichigo just shrugged as they made for their dorms.

"Eh, she is just uptight." He said flippantly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, it's the weekend! Let's party!" Ruby announced with a cheer as she pumped a fist into the air.

"Yeah!" Her sister chipped in with her own cheer. Ichigo just chuckled and shook his head at their antics.

"Sorry, not this time, not for me at least." He said to them, making Ruby pout. "I have to study."

"What do you have to study? We had only combat class today! And that's what you said every week so far!" She said. "Do you not want to hang out with us?" Ichigo made the mistake of looking at her, regret filling him as she shot him the most pitiful look she could pull off; her eyes were wide, tears formed in her eyes, and her lower lip quivered.

"It's not that!" Ichigo declared, flustered by the look she gave him. "I just have a lot to learn about Remnant still!"

"You are choosing history above us?" Ruby said, compounding upon her look with a weak whimper.

"Friggin' cheater." Ichigo said, groaning in defeat. "Just let me get changed, I'll meet you at the Bullhead."

"Okay!" Ruby said cheerfully. "Hurry up though, Jaune and his team are waiting for us!"

"Pardon me." Ozpin interrupted, making the girls stand at attention. "But for this weekend, you cannot go to Vale."

"What's going on, Ozpin?" Ichigo asked, his team looking at him as if he sinned, of which both Ozpin and Ichigo brushed off.

"I decided to send you five to a village as a relief force for some of their militia." The man said as he stood tall. "The Grimm have been exceptionally aggressive and, considering how your team is made up, I decided that you would go to help until full-fledged Hunters can be assigned there."

"Okay, and what is the other reason?" Ichigo said, taking a defiant stance. "I find it hard to believe that you would risk your own students in some situation like that without a better reason."

"You are perceptive, Ichigo." The headmaster stated, conceding the point to the teen. "It is also the village that my who family had grown up in."

The group paused before Blake's eyes grew in size. "Oh, I think I know why then." She said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "There must be something from that Urahara guy, isn't there?"

Their headmaster chuckled lightly, a smile creeping to his face. "Got it in one, Ms. Belladonna."

"That doesn't seem like enough of a reason." Ichigo said, unimpressed with the reason given to them before relenting. "I mean, if it is the village that you are from, shouldn't they all excel at hunting Grimm?"

"That would seem logical, wouldn't it, Ichigo?" He said more to himself than the teen. "But no, that isn't the case. Most of them are just civilians, no more than an average person. Sure, there are some who can fight, but all of them are not as strong as a Huntsman." _'Or you, Ichigo.'_ He added silently, giving the teen a look that was picked up on quickly.

"Fair enough, Ozpin." Ichigo conceded. "I just hope you know what you are doing."

"Of course I do, Mr. Kurosaki." The man said, nodding to the time traveler before turning to Ruby. "I will send you the mission dossier as soon as you get to the Bullhead. It leaves in an hour, so go get ready!" As she nodded and took off, the rest of RWBY following close behind her, Ozpin called out to them, stopping them before they got to far. "The mission is just for the weekend, but be sure to pack extra just in case." Ruby gave him one final nod before they ran to get ready.

"Ah, the energy of youth." He said idly to himself, taking a quick drink from his mug. Then, seeing them gone from sight, he pulled out his scroll, opening it up to the dossier of the mission. _'At least ten Ursa Majors, several large packs of Beowolves, each group round out at about 20-30 normal Beowolves and an Alpha, as well as reports of Death Stalker and King Taijitu sightings.'_ Sighing, Ozpin turned around and began walking to his office. _'This seems way too odd; Grimm just don't act this way. There is something larger at work here, I know it.'_

**(XoxoX)**

A heavy silence strangled the group after Ruby read off the mission to them, though each member had their own reaction to the information.

Ichigo was growling unintelligible curses, anger rolling off him in waves.

Blake had a disbelieving look that shattered her stoic nature, evident by the slight tinge of fear in her eyes.

Yang was a mix of emotions. Like Ichigo, fury rolled off of her in waves, all of it aimed at the same man Ichigo was targeting his anger at. Unlike him, however, she also seemed excited at the thought of the challenge presented to them.

Weiss, however, was the only one who was loudly vocal of her opinion, summing up how she felt in one statement. "Okay, now tell us what our mission really is, dunce."

"That is the mission, Weiss." Ruby quietly said back to her, handing over her scroll to prove it.

The heiress quickly scanned the device, and upon seeing Ruby being correct, dropped it, making said girl yelp and dive to catch the scroll before it hit the ground. "Is that man insane!?" She all but shouted, making their compartment echo her voice, much to the pain of everyone.

"Don't be so loud." Ichigo said, grimacing. "But this is what we have been assigned, and missions like this come with the job."

"But we are only students!"

"Students who have been training for years in your guy's case." Ichigo pointed out. "And I have been through worse. His ancestor sent me and my friends into the Afterlife without giving us much information on what we would experience."

"Excuses." Weiss scoffed.

Meekly, Ruby tried to get their attention before the fight went too far. "Um, I think we should go over a plan...or something."

"She has a point, you know." Blake agreed, nodding to their leader. "It would be a bad idea to go in without any form of plan."

"Alright, then what's your idea." Weiss snapped at Ruby, making the girl flinch at the sudden hostility aimed at her.

"Well...as much as I wish we could do so, an attack on them is just not possible." Ruby said, fidgeting in place.

"Why not? I could probably handle them all with ease." Ichigo pointed out, crossing his arms while looking at her with a neutral face.

"But that would do us no good." Ruby said, using her arms to indicate that she meant the rest of her team. "We need to get experience fighting Grimm." She smiled when he did, getting a feeling that she had passed a test of some kind, and got a boost in confidence before she turned to the group.

"As I was saying, a frontal attack would be a bad idea, so I have an idea." She started by turning to Yang. "Because of your semblance and Ember Celica, you can take and deal a lot of damage. Because of this, you will be a distraction when the Grimm attack, drawing their attention away from the town and back to the woods."

Upon seeing Yang give a serious nod, accepting her role in the situation, Ruby turned to Blake. "While she does that, you will stick to the shadows and take out any stragglers like a ninja." She pantomimed what being a ninja would be like after she finished speaking to Blake, making the older teen laugh and nod.

"You will assist them when they need it with your glyphs, Weiss. Like, putting up ice walls or slowing Grimm down when needed." Ruby said, turning to the heiress.

She snorted derisively at her decision before replying to her. "What, give them fighting roles and me something menial? Are you doubting me, Ruby?"

"Not at all!" Ruby said as she panicked, waving her arms in front of her. "Your weapon and fighting style just isn't suited for groups of enemies is all!"

"What, don't think you can handle it, Princess?" Yang asked, giving her a faux-pitying look.

"Of course I can handle it!" She snapped, bristling at the barb.

"Alright, glad that is settled." Ruby sighed happily before turning to Ichigo. "You will act as a final defense before they reach the village should any Grimm break away that we can't get. As a safety for us, you will also come in and help if one of us are in serious danger, okay?"

"That's fair." Ichigo said, shrugging his shoulders. "One question though: what about the King Taijitu and the Death Stalkers?"

"What about them?" Ruby asked, confused by his question.

"What is your plan if they show up is what I am asking."

"Oooh. Well, I think that if one shows up, we try to weaken them to the point we can kill it, or barring that, you can do that death-wave thing to kill it."

"It's called Getsuga Tensho, Ruby." Ichigo sighed. "And it isn't a 'death wave.'"

"""Yes it is.""" The other three members of their group said in unison, surprising Ichigo.

"One was enough to take out a Nevermore like it was nothing." Blake said, cutting him off before he could reply. "Something that powerful is quite effectively a death wave."

"Whatever." Ichigo said, huffing as he rolling his eyes.

Ruby giggled at their antics as the debriefing ended. "Well, we still have a few hours before we get there so you guys should relax. It is going to be a busy weekend for us!"

An hour passed as their moods lifted, Ruby and Yang talking excitedly to each other as Blake read a book and Weiss polished Myrtenaster. Bored, Ichigo walked over to Blake and sat down next to her. "So, what's that you're reading?"

"It's called 'Debts of Protection'." Blake replied, not looking away from the book.

"What's it about?" He pressed, curiosity now digging its claws into him.

"It's the second book in the Guardian trilogy about this person that is refereed to as the Protector, a guy who can see the dead. This is the second book of the series and it takes place in the afterlife." As she was describing it, Ichigo slowly lost his interested expression as it was shaping itself into more of an aggravated one. "He is trying to storm the afterlife's government because they are trying to execute the Ice Heiress for giving the human Protector their powers to protect his family."

"..." Ichigo remained in silence for a moment. "How old is this book?"

"Well, it is a classic." She said while marking her place in the book. She then flipped to the front of it, scanning the details of its creation before she could reply. "Yeah, it was made about four or five hundred years ago. Why do you ask?"

"That bastard!" Ichigo swore loudly, startling everyone in the compartment. "I cannot believe he would just use me to make a profit!"

Blake started to ask him what he meant when the entire Bullhead suddenly shook as something hit is, knocking everyone to the floor.

"Sorry about that!" The pilot called from his spot. "A Nevermore just came out of nowhere and slammed into us. Just give me a second to handle it, okay?"

**"No, you should handle it Ichigo. You could use the practice."** The Old Man suddenly spoke up inside him, startling Ichigo before he realized what he meant.

"I can handle it." Ichigo called out to the pilot. "Just get the ship so that I can see it." Without waiting for the man to reply, Ichigo opened the side door to the Bullhead, making wind whip inside suddenly, much to the protests of his team.

"I don't think your death wave would be a good idea, Ichigo!" Ruby called out above the wind.

"Yeah! You could destroy the ship too!" Weiss compounded, only to be confused when he smirked at them.

"Who said I was going to use Zangetsu for the job?" Without waiting for them to ask a question, Ichigo lifted his right hand up and used his own energy to form a large bow, much to the awe of Ruby and shock of the other three. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo aimed his bow and nocked a black and red Heilig Pfeil. When he felt the Bullhead steady itself from trying to keep parallel to the Nevermore, Ichigo let loose the arrow. There was almost no delay between the release and the connection to the giant avian Grimm, his arrow piercing the bird and fly off into the distance in a straight line.

His teammates almost spoke up when they got stunned into silence as the Grimm faded away into nothing, almost as if it had never been there in the first place. Satisfied with the results, Ichigo closed the door to their transport and sat back down next to Blake.

"Okay, I don't know what I want to know about more." Weiss admitted after a moment's silence.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there was that little explosive moment you had just now about the book Blake was talking about." Weiss stated dryly. "There is also the fact that you: made a bow and arrow out of nothing, killed the Nevermore in one shot when it has feathers strong enough to make it bullet proof, and somehow made the body disappear."

"Eh." Ichigo shrugged. "Wasn't that big a deal."

"I hate you so much right now." Weiss said, her eye twitching in testament to her repressed anger before giving a heavy sigh. "Well, would you mind explaining then?"

"Sure." Ichigo shrugged. "Which do you want to know more about first."

"Why did you shout?" Blake asked, interrupting the heiress.

"Ah, that." Ichigo said sheepishly. "Well, if I am right then that guy I told you about, Kisuke Urahara, wrote those books, making them essentially a biography for me." He then rested his chin on a couple fingers before correcting himself. "Well, not so much a biography but a retelling of my deeds. Of course, this is based purely on what you told me."

"There is a portrait of the author if you want to see it." Blake offered, handing her book to him. With a grateful smile, Ichigo took the book from her, losing it quickly when he opened it to the side the portrait was on.

"Yup, that's him alright." Ichigo sighed, turning the book to show a blonde man who didn't look like he could be older than thirty five. He was wearing a robe while a weird striped bucket-like hat sat on his head as he shone an impish smile.

"That looks just like the guy in the hologram we saw." Ruby pointed out.

"That's because he is the same guy." He said dryly. "I can't believe he would use me like that though."

"It's a good story at least." Blake shrugged before retrieving her book and cracking it back open.

Ichigo then turned to Weiss after giving an annoyed sigh. "And that bow was the power the second personality that is different from mine represents, my Quincy power. Because of my other powers, though, the power was tainted and absorbs the power of whatever I shoot instead of dispersing it on contact."

"So the energy of that Nevermore is now in you?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Yup."

"Stupid overpowered..." Weiss trailed off, grumbling to herself. Ichigo only shrugged, not knowing what to say. "You have speed that exceeds Ruby's, power that is just inhuman in scope, and can attack from any range. What the devil are you?"

"I don't even know anymore." Ichigo muttered, lowering his head.

**(XoxoX)**

"Finally!" Yang exclaimed as she jumped off the ship to the village square. "We can finally stretch out and...What is that?"

"What's what?" Ruby asked as she dropped beside her sister. Looking up, she saw what Yang meant. "Oh. Well then."

"What is it?" Weiss landed a bit away from them and turned around, the sight making her eye twitch in annoyance. "Are you kidding me? Is that really a thing?"

Blake and Ichigo followed them, dropping at the same time. By this time, a small crowd had gathered around them. "I could hear you guys up there. What's goi..." Ichigo froze in shock when he bore witness to the sight they were going on about before a blush crossed his face.

In front of them, standing proud in the center of the square, was a statue of a scowling Ichigo, Zangetsu drawn and planted into the base.

"That...that is not odd at all." Ichigo said to himself as muttering broke out through the crowd.

"He's real!" A child called out before a horde of them rushed past the girls.

"What?" Was all Ichigo could get out before the group of children bowled him over, much to the amusement of the crowd and his team.

"He's real, he's real! The Protector is real!" Their voices merrily cried, each small child trying to get some kind of grip on him, jostling the poor guy.

"Whoa!" Ichigo called out. "Yang! Ruby! Help me!"

"No way am I getting into that mess!" Yang exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes as she attempted to hold back her laughter.

Distraught, Ichigo turned to face the younger sibling, only to get a pitying look from her that told him that she held the same opinion.

"Traitors!" He called out as the kids continued to play with their hero.

"Knock it off!"

The kids froze when the coarse voice yelled at them. Looking at each other, they mutually agreed to cut their losses and scattered into the crowd.

Looking over to where the voice came from, he saw a burly man walking over to Ichigo. With little effort, the man had lifted Ichigo up to his feet. As Ichigo dusted himself off, the man began to talk. "Sorry about the kids, they usually don't act like that with strangers."

"I think I can understand why they did though." Ichigo grunted.

With a shrug, the man continued. "Well, you do look a lot like a legend that had been passed down over time."

"The Protector from that Guardian series, right?" Ichigo asked with a scowl.

"Exactly. The guy who wrote it is from here and it was based off a legend he told."

"Oh, I know." Ichigo growled. "And if he was still alive, I would have a few choice words about what he used as a subject."

The man laughed, thinking the boy was joking before introducing himself. "Well, stranger, it's not often that our little village gets visitors, especially ones as flashy as you five. What brings you guys here, Mr...?"

"Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." The teen introduced himself, taking the man's hand. He expected for the man to give, or at least try to give, a bone crushing grip, but was surprised by the slack grip he got instead.

"...Is this a joke?" The man said, sounding skeptical.

Ichigo sighed before running a hand through his hair. "I am guessing Ozpin didn't tell you, did he?"

Recognition crossed the man's face abruptly. In a matter of moments, the man got out of the handshake and knelt down, followed by all of the watching citizens. "Protector! I am sorry to have treated you so casually!"

Ichigo sighed before Yang capitalized on the situation. "Oh, so you go by with a title now, huh?" She said, resting her elbow on his shoulder. "I never knew you liked that kind of thing."

"Shut up." Ichigo said to her, pushing her elbow off of him. "I don't like it, not one bit!"

"Sorry for offending you, Protector!" The man called out, still not looking at him.

"Cut that out, will you!" Ichigo called out. "Actually, that goes for all of you! Yes, I am that guy of legend, but I am still a person that is just like you all!"

"I wouldn't go that far." Blake muttered loud enough for him to hear.

"Not helping, Blake."

"Still, it would be rude to treat someone of your stature with such disrespect as to not refer to you with a title!" The man stated, shocked from the teen's outburst into a standing position.

"I think it would be more rude to not respect my wish of wanting to be treated normally." Ichigo countered, raising an eyebrow.

"He has a point." Blake popped in again.

"Would you just choose a side!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing at her dramatically, making a giggle erupt from Ruby's mouth. Blake just rolled her eyes before returning to focus more intently on her book, determined to learn about Ichigo.

By this time, the man had recollected himself. "Well then...Ichigo..." He began, looking uncomfortable with calling a legend by his name, "I am the Mayor of this village. The name's Greer Holt." Ichigo nodded his respect to the man, lightly smiling at him dropping the title. "I take it that you five are the reinforcements that Ozpin sent then?"

"Yup!" Ruby said as she walked over to the man, sticking her hand out. "Team RWBY, at your service."

"..who is she?" Greer asked, looked between Ruby and Ichigo.

"She is the leader of our team." Ichigo stated calmly.

"I see." The man turned to Ruby, accepting her hand. "Well, thank you for coming to help."

"Not a problem!" She said happily. "I am just glad we can be of service."

"Well, it will be needed. These Grimm have been much more aggressive than usual." Greer then began to walk, Ruby following beside him as the rest of RWBY followed behind.

The peaceful moment was quickly ruined, however, when a loud voice called out to them. "The Grimm are attacking!"

* * *

**Well, there we go.**

**Before you go though, I have a request for any authors out there. Please, make more Ladybug fics! In strictly RWBY universe, they are my OTP, and it is sad that there are so few fics for them out there.**


	6. The First Mission Part 2

**So, sorry about the delay. As they say, a boulder that lies still collects moss, and that is certainly what happened with me. However, I now know how the story is going to end, and man, it should be pretty sweet!**

**Anyways, thank you all for the reviews. It actually hurt me to not be writing when I kept seeing them, but I just didn't have any motivation. But, now I do, so lets ride this wave, shall we?**

* * *

As the gears shifted in a series of rhythmic, systematic clicks in his office, Ozpin leaned back in his chair, taking in and enjoying the rare moment of peace that was given to him.

"Ozpin! What is the meaning of this?"

He sighed, knowing the moment had passed, and turned to the door to his office which Glynda had so graciously slammed open. "The meaning of what, Glynda?"

"Oh, I don't know." She trailed sarcastically. "Maybe I am referring to the fact that you send first year team RWBY on an assignment that was specifically asking for students of at least the third year? Or, better yet, actual Hunters and Huntresses that we have in reserves right now." She pulled out her scroll and slammed it down on Ozpin's desk, rattling everything on it. "And look here. It claims that there is a veritable army of Grimm. An army!"

"And?" Ozpin asked flippantly. "Team RWBY has an Ichigo."

"That isn't the point!" Glynda exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "The point is that you are recklessly endangering the lives of students of this academy. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that people grow together better through combat than through being stuck in the same room." Was his calm reply, stopping the woman's rampage. "After all, no one is closer than those who can trust each other with their lives."

"But that is not all, is there?"

"Of course not. I am also doing this to make Ichigo feel closer and become more protective of those girls."

"Why?" Glynda asked, now a tad bit confused. "Isn't he already on our side, as infuriating as he is?"

Ozpin shook his head. Standing up, he turned his back to her and gazed out over his academy. "Glynda, do you know know what makes mankind so strong?"

"What does that have to do with my question?" She asked him, clearly confused by his random question.

"It has everything to do with your question. And the answer is rather simple, actually. It isn't the aura that flows through our bodies, or the semblances that power us, or even our numbers; no, it is bonds that make us so strong." With a light chuckle, he turned his head so he could watch Glynda with one eye. "It is bonds forged between people that drive us, that make people strive to gain strength, that makes hard decisions easy to decide on. It is because of this, of these bonds, that I am trying to make Ichigo forge as many bonds as possible while he is here."

"And if he forges bonds here, he is less likely to go if given the chance to return." Glynda continued for him slowly, picking up on his idea.

"Exactly." Ozpin jabbed the cane in his hand into the ground to emphasize himself. "If we can get him to forge bonds that are stronger here, maybe even weaken the bonds that bind him to the past, Ichigo will stay with us."

"But why do you want Ichigo so badly?"

"Simple." Ozpin stated. "It is because he is the greatest chance for this world to achieve peace, to no longer have to fear Grimm. And if we can take our focus away from the Grimm, then we can achieve peace with ourselves, with the Faunus."

"Still, is it worth risking her?" Glynda asked. "You know what would happen should she get hurt."

"Oh Glynda, you worry too much. I mean, what is the worst that could have happened?"

(XoxoX)

Growling lightly in aggravation, Ichigo shot through the nth Grimm that stood in his way. _'I swear, some force out there just hates me.'_ He thought to himself while drawing and firing again, his fingers starting to bleed from the strain of the bow he wield. _'Or maybe it is just that damned Urahara family. After all, this was not the mission forced upon us.'_

The situation was exponentially worse than the mission report had described. The image that came to mind when he read the report was that there were only some Beowolves with a few other types of Grimm. The reality of the situation, however, was full-on assaults from a mixture of Beowolves, Ursai, and Creeps, a strange bipedal lizard that could move at speeds only Ruby could outpace. With this being the situation, their plan was immediately thrown out the window.

The opening salvo consisted of three quick bursts from Ichigo's bow, mowing down the vanguard of the assault, allowing Yang and Weiss to join in, the blonde's fists flying as dust spells went off behind her, creating a jagged parameter of sturdy icicles to slow down the horde as they passed the berserker. Ruby unloaded a full clip of anti-material ammunition, each shot quickly measured and released with deadly accuracy, cutting more swaths in that allowed her to use her semblance to flit in and reap more monsters with her blade. Ichigo stood back as Blake ran interference, taking out the small-fry with large, sweeping slashes using her ribbon and kusarigama.

Then, as if they were doing too well for themselves, half an hour into the assault, Ruby got pounced on by a Creep. As she cried out in shock, the thing pinned her to the ground with her cape, snapping at her as more of the monsters surrounded her. This made Yang explode in a raging fire in a very literal sense. Sure, she was being slowly powered up by tanking a lot of hits, but all that potential energy stored inside her released as she snapped. The energy flared out and incinerated the surrounding Grimm before she sprinted towards her half-sister, batting away anything in her way, including entire trees, before greeting the Creep on her sister with Ember, chunking it into a paste while scaring off the rest of the Grimm, sending them scurrying away for the time being.

At this point, Yang had emptied her reserves, and dropped down beside her sister, panting shamelessly. Blake and Weiss helped them to their feet and assisted them in walking back into the village. The villagers inside cheered as the gates rose as the quintet walked back inside. Yang took it with weary cheer, raising a weak arm up in the mimicry of a fist-pump, smirking past her scratch-covered face.

After a quick check-up by a local doctor, Ruby and Yang were told to get some sleep, due to both aura and physical exhaustion, and got led by a few villagers to the local inn as Greer approached Blake, Ichigo, and Weiss, apologizing profusely for what happened. According to him, the attacks, while having been getting more aggressive, hadn't even come close to half the horde that came that day. Both girls by Ichigo's side just glanced up at the boy as he looked sheepish. He apologized, saying that a problem similar to that happened to him back at his home town, and that this was probably his fault.

The man just waved it off, then let them go on their way. With nothing else to do, the three decided to retire for the night, as their flight and fight had brought the sun to set in the sky's horizon, allowing the moon to rise in its broken glory. Their room, thankfully given to them for free, already had a passed out Ruby and Yang curled up in a bed, the blonde draped protectively over her sister even in her sleep. With a small smirk, Blake took a picture just as Yang began to drool, laughing at the blackmail material.

At this point, Blake and Weiss decided that they might as well share the other bed as Ichigo relaxed in a sofa situated in the corner of the room. As the girls all slept, Ichigo pulled a history book out of his bag and read, knowing that he still lacked a lot of information despite the month he had been there already.

_"...was at this point that an idea that was once a theory became real: autonomic soldiers. General Ironwood had always abhorred the loss of life, any life, in the name of protection against the Grimm, so he set out and went to research this idea. With funds from many sources, primarily being the renowned Schnee Dust Company, he was able-"_

Ichigo was snapped out of his reading trance when a shrill alarm went off, waking everyone up in a panic. Ichigo snapped his book shut and motioned them to stay put. Despite their protests, he insisted on them staying, and went out alone to handle it.

And now he was in this situation. Bleeding from his fingers from the strain of his Unheilig Pfiel, and a bit winded from the constant hirenkyaku he used to travel around the village countless times. Right now, there was a slight pause in the attack, allowing him to steady his breathing, when a Deathstalker came barreling out of the treeline.

The Deathstalker, known for its incredibly thick plating, was no match for the enlarged arrow Ichigo shot, which put the beast down with ease. Then, he felt an unknown reiryoku signature of someone that was moving near him, coming in his direction. "Who's there?" The teen called out to the bushes, expecting someone to be there.

And he was right, for as he began to ponder the puzzle of what had happened, a silhouette came from the shadows, one that towered over him with some sort of sword on his back. The silhouette then strode from the shadows into the light that shown from fog lamps set up on the walls. The silhouette turned out to be a man that wore what looked like a white Grimm mask that walked with a casual arrogance, carrying what looked like a chainsaw blade on his back.

The man stopped when he was just a bit out of his arm's reach. Despite him coming from nowhere, Ichigo willed his bow away, though maintained a cautioned stance. It was then that the guy pulled a scroll out, bringing Ichigo's attention from him to it.

"Hey, is this thing on?" A man came into view as the screen winked to life. He wore a black bowler's cap on his head and a white suit, all while chomping on a cigar. He blinked a few times before his eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, I see. I guess you beasts aren't all useless after all. You really did find him quickly." The man remained stoically silent at the verbal abuse.

"Wait, what?" Ichigo asked, befuddled at the man's nonchalance.

"Forgive me. My...compatriot here is not one much for talking, so I opted for us to talk like this, with that as the messenger." The man said. "I am sorry about this, by the way. Must have been rather out of the blue, seeing how dark out it is for you."

"Why go through the trouble of finding me?"

"Why? Well, it is because I have some things to talk to you about, my boy!" The man said as he threw his arms wide. "The name's Roman Torchwick, you see, and I have a proposition for you! You see, I know all about you, about your time travel predicament." Ichigo tensed up, his eyes sharpening as he reached for his blade. "Now now, no need to be like that! We are just having a civil discussion here."

"Oh sure, someone who knows more than they should wants a civil discussion with me. How many times have I heard that before." Ichigo retorted with an eye roll added on to emphasize his mood.

"No really, I do! Perhaps you should listen to me before you decide what to do though, for some lives may be at risk at the moment." When Ichigo made no move to calm down, the man sighed. "I actually hoped it wouldn't come to this so soon, but you see, I have a companion that has a very...specific set of talents. She is a very bloodthirsty person, you see. And right now, well...it is better if you see for yourself." The man's voice , which had began jovial, began to turn more sour. The tablet's image cut to a different place, one he recognized after a moment. The image was showing his leader Ruby, lying defenselessly in her bed, completely unconscious. A blade then made its way onscreen, hovering over her throat. "You see, Ichigo, if you do not calm down, my compatriot's hand may just slip and something tells me that would not be something you want to happen. He left the threat hanging there like a guillotine.

"You bastard!" Ichigo shouted, lunging at the screen, stopping himself when the blade got dangerously close to Ruby's throat.

"Ah, good boy! You can listen to commands!" The man joked, his tone back to the joviality he began with. "Now, coming soon, and I won't say when, something may happen at or near your dear ol' Beacon. I won't say what, but it will happen. Now, here is where you come in. You will turn a blind eye whenever you see either Neo or I, or any situation involving us, and you will help us when we ask for it."

"And why would I choose to betray my friends and Ozpin?" Ichigo asked belligerently.

"Well, aside from your teammates being killed, be it tonight or some time in the future, we will also make it impossible for you to return back to your time." The shocked look that overtook Ichigo's face only worked to widen Roman's smile. "You see, my employer is much, much closer to understanding the intricacies of how time can be controlled than your Ozpin is. We also know that we probably would not stand a chance against you if you ever got serious, but we are still capable of ruining you."

"...Fine." Ichigo said venomously. "As long as you hold up your promise to me, I will hold up what you...demand... of me." _'But that will not stop me from getting back at you eventually. Mark my words, Roman, for I will get you for this.'_

Roman just ignored the glare sent at him, and opted to laugh, pushing salt deeper into the wound. "Very well, it seems that we have come to an agreement! Now beast, you may stop whatever it is that you did to get him to you. And Ichigo? I will keep in touch." With a cackle, the man cut the connection, leaving the faunus and Ichigo alone in the light of the fog lamps.

The man just gave a silent nod of recognition to Ichigo before he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the teen to his thoughts.

_'Dammit, not again!'_ Ichigo raged inside himself. _'Tch, I can't believe I am getting manipulated again!'_ In his anger, Ichigo began to furiously punch the ground. After a minute of expelling his anger, Ichigo unsteadily got back to his feet and walked on auto-pilot back to his teammates, plopped back onto the sofa when he saw that there was no one in the room, and let sleep take him into its warm embrace, the mental stress tiring him out more than monster slaying ever had.

**(XoxoX)**

"You were correct. He was approached by the bishop, the pawn, and the rook." A man said into his scroll, standing by the edge of a darkened room as a light clicking filled the room. "And they did twist his arm as you expected him to."

**[But of course they did.]** The voice on the other line said. **[They are acting exactly as one should expect from them.]**

The man sighed wearily. "Are you sure that this is the best way to achieve peace? Is tricking this boy, making him suffer such a humiliating position really the best idea?"

**[It is the only way that I can see now. Ever since he changed the whole balance of power, this is the only course of action I could come up with.]**

"I hope you are right." The man sighed as he began to pace. "Anything for the lasting peace, correct?"

**[Anything for lasting peace. I will call you when the next step of the plan is ready.]**

"Of course." At this final confirmation, the voice ended the call. The man looked out into the night as ravens flew by. _'I hope you know what you are doing.'_ He thought with a sigh before leaving the room. _'Because it probably won't go as anyone expects it to.'_


	7. Last AN

(Heads up, this may be a long read for an AN, and it is all an Author's note that will be the same for every story, so you only gotta read once if you are reading it all. There is also a TL,DR if you want that.)

So yeah...

It's been a while, huh? Feels odd, writing this...

Well, to start off, here is why I haven't been writing: I just do not derive entertainment from it anymore.

I am a perfectionist, always have been, especially towards myself. If I do something and it isn't up to my standards, I hate it. Because of this, I never like what I write. It is always so amateurish, so weak and unguided, that I regret writing what I have because there is nothing I find entertaining about it.

To add onto this, recently an author I admired quit Fanfiction entirely, and his pen name is IIIIIIIIII (You should check his stories out. Both are completed and wonderful). He would produce 10k chapters twice a week with quality befitting a legitimate author. However, as I said, he left, and he left because he didn't enjoy writing anymore.

I guess this is where I am at. Now I am not saying I am nowhere near as good as him, because let's face it, I really am not. But it's just that...whenever I sit down to write, plan to sit down and write, my mind chooses to do anything but, and I agree, because that "whatever" seems more fun.

I am sorry for cock teasing you guys for so long, the people who honestly wanted to see more, who PM'ed me and reviewed, all asking for more, and especially to Dosudro, my beta, because he was expecting to get more.

But it never came.

Now, I am not leaving Fanfiction. Really, I am not. I am still going to read, I will still going to help Beta those who asked me to and any future people who do so as well, but no more chapters from me. Period.

I am sorry.

On another note, do me a favor and check out:

Arrixam and his stories: Eighth, The Dragoon; it's sequel Seventh, the Dragoon; Broken Rules, (all three of which are DxD AU's involving his personal creation of the Predator system which is kick ass); and Heart of Glass, which is a Fate/Stay Night story involving the Predator system. Just so you know, the majority of the Predators are OC's of his that are very in depth and interesting, and in no way to be considered 'Good' in alignment.

Alvain's A Ladybug's Instinct (RWBY) if you like a slowburning Ladybug romance with a side Freezerburn.

Daneel Rush's doorstopper of a story called Naruto: Genkyouein, a story that is crack incarnate that is filled with OC's that I also do not mind. I am not kidding when I call it crack incarnate, though. That shit is out there.

**TL,DR: I am quitting writting, staying in the community, and suggested some authors to give your support to.**

And again, I am sorry.


End file.
